This week I am in Oslo, Norway. Flew over on a combination of United, SAS and Widerøe from SFO to TPE (Sandefjord/Torp Airport), then took the bus into Oslo. Normally I would have flown into Gardermoen, but was trying to be economical, so I flew into Torp instead. (which is where the LCC's like Ryanair fly into when they want to offer service to Oslo). I took SAS on the intercontinental leg (SEA-CPH), and was in their new 'premium economy' (Economy Extra is what they call it). However, the downside was that I had to play the seat lottery, and lost. Got the middle seat in the middle section (2-3-2 seating) and the last seat on a 3/4's full Dash Q400 on Widerøe. Somewhere someone is smirking as he reads this...
Now that being said, a 2-3-2 seat configuration on a widebody aircraft is quite nice (compared to 2-4-2 in regular Economy Class), so while I was in the middle, it wasn't too bad, and it was nice to have a proper blanket/pillow and silverware (not plastic) with one's meal. And SAS allow you to view a camera at the front and bottom of the plane so you can see what you are flying over (if it isn't at night). Not as nice as Channel 9 on United, but a unique touch nonetheless. Didn't get much sleep, but that's normal for me. Was in Copenhagen briefly to check mail in the SAS lounge, then off on a Dash Q400 for the last leg to Torp. I have to admit, even in the back, being in a modern turbo-prop isn't bad these days. While you hear the whurr of the engines, it's at a much lower noise range than I am used to, and my noise-canceling headphones took care of it with ease.
In any case the bus ride into Oslo was uneventful, and I went to bed as soon as I checked into the hotel. It's now Sunday here in Oslo, which means nothing much will happen until the afternoon, and even then not much will happen. It's a good day to recover and deal with the jet lag before Monday comes along. Will talk a little more about Oslo in my next entry...
A couple of final notes as I turn the page on this trip.
First off, after having returned from the reunion, I had dinner that night at Cafe Maddalena. Now, I know the chef worked in San Francisco restaurants for many years, etc... but I was shocked at how good the food was that night. I started off with the Eggplant and Red Bell Pepper salad, which was mixed together with celery (for texture) and pieces of shaved ginger (for some zing and lightness) with some balsamic vinaigrette for dressing. I continued on with an entree of grilled scallops on a bed of spinach with a drizzled orange glaze. The scallops were cooked to perfection, with no rubber texture to be detected at all and the glaze and spinach complimented the dish well. To finish, I had the panacotta with rhubarb, which struck the right tone between sweetness and tartness.
If you would have told me before this weekend that one of the best meals in my life at a restaurant would be in Dunsmuir, I would have asked what alternate universe you were living in... I still rate my meals at The Gaucho Grill on Canary Wharf in London as my peak culinary experience so far (ohh, the steaks), but this meal easily makes my top 5 list..
When I grew up in Dunsmuir, haute cuisine was Burger Barn and Pizza Factory. Nothing bad about either one of them mind you, but to come back and to experience not one but two (Sengthong's being the other) good restaurants and to see them supported by the community and tourists alike was great. (yes, I am being a homer) ;)
That being said, all is not well in paradise. The town has been in a long slow decline since before I went to high school there and it continues to this day. The town's main claim to fame has been the railroad (Union Pacific, Southern Pacific before that), but technology has rendered much of the labor required in the old days moot, so the town has been trying to find ways to replace the lost revenue over the years - the latest being tourism and making the town a destination for fly fishers. (with the Sacramento River running thru the town) That being said the population is getting older, and while my high school class was in the low 30's, this year's graduating class was half that. (ouch) And the place I had breakfast (Eggs Benedict w/ Chai) at this morning was up for sale. So while I see some good things happening, I still worry if the town I knew when I grew up will still be there in another 15-20 years...
One of the things I love about being here is the lack of pretentiousness. My father's high school reunions are usually some lavish black tie event at some hotel in the city where he grew up. Here, we just head to the city park where we can watch the kids play on the playground, and we have someone come in and do a on-site BBQ. Nothing too formal, just a get together to catch up and remember old times.
One of the striking things I noticed this time around (compared to the last reunion) was the fact that a lot of folks who scattered across the Western US have now concentrated themselves within 150 miles of Dunsmuir. (either Klamath Falls and Medford, Oregon to the north; Redding to the south) As we dispersed after graduation, the center keeps sucking us back in. There are still several of us in the Bay Area & Southern California, Idaho/Montana, as well as Texas and New York. But for the most part, everyone is getting closer to home. :)
The other was how responsible we have all become, now that most of us have kids. Folks that were... party animals, are now responsible parents... and it's nice to see we all made it thru this far. As one of us mentioned, it's easier to recognize folks thru their kids now rather than their classmates. :)
Speaking of which, it was rather odd that I am now one of the only ones still single (and no kids). (and it was the source of some good old-fashioned ribbing) Heck, I have been waiting for someone to make me take off this class ring, but I haven't found that special someone yet. :)
To H&V (and I know you are reading this), thanks again for a great afternoon to catch up with everyone, and hope to do it again in another five years. :)
Now I am off to Cafe Maddalena here in downtown Dunsmuir; this time it's Mediterranean cuisine... It's great to see such restaurants able to thrive here in Dunsmuir, and here's to a great meal before I start the drive home in the morning.
As I mentioned in one of my recent blog entries. part of the reason I came up to Dunsmuir was to hit the reset button mentally. It's not something you can do at home, there are just too many reminders of the work week, etc. And I am a believer that there are only certain places a person can go to achieve this state of mind, either a childhood home or a favorite vacation spot, etc. It just so happens Dunsmuir (and the surrounding area) just does it for me. I couldn't tell you why exactly, it just does. :)
After lunch I headed out to Bunny Flats (elevation just over 6,000 feet) at the base of Mount Shasta which is where the climbers start out for their ascent up the mountain. There is a bench about 50 feet from the start of the trail where you can look straight up at the mountain. I went up and sat there for 10-15 minutes in pure unadulterated silence. There was no humming of something in the background, it was just devoid of any background noise, which just let me clear my mind for several moments and it was just mental bliss.
After that it was off to Castle Lake to gaze at it's blue waters, which was therapeutic in its own way, and then back to the lodge for a nap... :) Had dinner just down the street at Sengthong's, which is a fusion of Vietnamese, Laotian and Thai cuisine. My entree was the Pepper Steak in Black Bean Sauce. It was just wonderful, and I just want to know where this place was 15 years ago when I still lived here... ;)
Spent the last three hours of sunlight driving down the back roads in Scott's Valley, thru Granada, Montague, Big Springs back thru Yreka, then hightailed it back down I-5 to Mt. Shasta to catch a movie. (Pirates of the Caribbean II) which brings me back here to this blog entry. :)
The reunion should be fun later today... it has been put together by the same two people who organized the last one, and it was a blast. In any case, the trip has already been a success.
Checked out the house I lived in; my family sold the property 3-4 years ago, so no one has seen the place since. Other than a trailer in the driveway, it looks exactly the same as it was before. In comparison the house next door has been almost completely renovated and now has a passthru driveway, so there's the change. :)
Also stopped in at the city park here in Mt. Shasta to check out the headwaters of the mighty Sacramento River... to see such a wide and vast river start out as a spring bubbling up from the ground is just amazing.
The weather is clear, and a bit hot (supposed to get into the low-mid 90's) which is typical summertime weather here. I am about to head out to see Lake Siskiyou as well as Castle Lake this afternoon, and breathe some more of this clean air. :) I also have my camera, so perhaps pictures may be on their way...
In any case, I am "back home" this weekend in Dunsmuir, California to attend my 15-year high school reunion (Class of 1991 - Go Tigers!). I haven't been back here since the 10-year reunion, and it will be nice to see some old friends to see how they have gotten on since we last met. With the hectic life I have now, it's nice to come back once in a while to hit the "reset button" and to breathe the fresh air and drink the clean tap water. :) So I will (try to) enjoy myself. :)
An odd thing happened at the start of my flight here; once all the passengers boarded the plane (a A319) the captain announced that there was a moratorium on incoming flights into Toronto Pearson until 6am (set by the local metropolis - the GTA). With the prevailing tailwinds that we would be there ~30 minutes early and run a foul of that rule. So rather that go around in circles for 20 minutes, he let us know that he would burn some of that time on the ground in San Francisco, and then fly very slowly the rest of the way there, to land just after the moratorium lifts. Even in business class, I would have wanted to spend the extra time outside the plane... :)
In any case, the flight went as expected; I slept for just over 30 minutes, the movie was unwatchable ("Match Point"), and read this week's Economist, and watched most of that Top Gear episode. (boy do I enjoy watching the three try to convert a Renault Megane into a cabriolet)
My stay in Toronto will be brief, my connecting flight to Ottawa leaves around 8am, and I land in Ottawa just after 9am, and then head straight to the University of Ottawa for the two day FreeBSD developers summit... on 30 minutes of napping... Oi... will need to load up on some natural caffeine to get me thru the day, and to be coherent before I can check into my hotel room and sleep later on tonight.At least my upgrade went thru on my flight to Toronto, so I can try to sleep in comfort. (If I get more than two hours of sleep on this flight, I'll be happy) I am going thru my pre-flight rituals now. Checking email in the lounge, get a quick snack, head to the gate 40 min before the flight, get thru security and then grab a copy of the Economist & Business Weekly (gives my brain something to do), then board the flight.
At least this time, I loaded up my laptop w/ the latest Doctor Who episode, and a the season premiere of the new season of Top Gear. So if the in-flight movie sucks and I still can't sleep, I have a backup plan... :)
Anyway must dash after hearing this news about Alfa Romeo coming back to the US. (I so want a Brera)
Yes, last year's race was a farce, but it was history in the making, and I quickly renewed for this year. Because quite frankly, the ticket was free (as Michelin refunded the cost of 2005 race-day tickets), and because as this may be the last USGP for awhile (at least end it's run at IMS). The road course may have some rinky dink features, but the ambiance and the front straightaway is something to behold. Seeing the passionate Brazilian and Colombian fans cheer on their favorite driver w/ their gargantuan flags, you would think you were at a World Cup match. :)
Like most years, I will be flying into Chicago, and will spend the next couple of hours driving to Indianapolis. The flights tend to be cheaper (O'Hare is a massive hub for both United & American), and there is some business in Chicago that I like to take care of while I am there, so I can kill two birds with one stone, and I don't mind the drive. Although this time, I am flying out of Oakland, and not San Francisco (or San Jose). The fare was $100 cheaper (although I may have to give most of those savings back in SuperShuttle fees to/from the airport)
Still planning to stay in Lafeyette as usual; the hotels in Indy are still a) overbooked and b) overpriced for the racing weekend, and while the rising gas prices will cut into my savings, it's a nice drive both ways, and the town has great amenities being the home of Purdue University. (Hey, any place that has both White Castle & Steak 'n Shake is any place I can stay in) ;)
I spent the first morning in Moscow to a fresh snowfall... that and the fact that the sun didn't really rise until 0900. Checked email while I waited for my contact to arrive, where we then headed off to Red Square around noon. The weather was great, heavy clouds, snow flurries... o.k., I could have done w/o the biting wind... Got to see the memorial to the millions of Russians that died in WWII as well as Lenin's Tomb (the guy is a lot smaller than I imagined), as well as tributes across the Kremlin walls to the heroes of the Revolution (including a separate area for foreign sympathizers/spies). I even got to see the daily "flash" Communist demonstration of 30-50 folks carrying Soviet flags and denouncing Putin and capitalism, and wanting to return to the "good old days".
I spent lunch at the nearby GUM - a mall full of Western-style boutique shops which sell everything from caviar to electronics to fur. A nice spot of tea and a slice of cheesecake always does the trick for me... Spent the next hour and a half at the State Historical Museum, where they had a display of items from the Russian Empire during the 1800's. By this time it was 1600 and already getting dark, so we headed out to the Cathedral of Christ the Savior and the lower church, the Church of Transfiguration. I had never been in a proper Russian Orthodox Church before, and it was quite a sight. My host lit several candles for me (for good luck) and we toured the site looking at all the religious artifacts on offer.
After that, it was off to dinner, and I took my host to... the Hard Rock Cafe. :) At this point, what I really wanted was a proper Caesar salad... (which I didn't get) But ironically I got into a heated discussion w/ my host about ABBA and whether it was right for Madonna to sample Gimme, Gimme, Gimme for her track Hung Up... (he is a ABBA traditionalist, I thought Madonna's incorporation of the back-beat was brilliant)
More about Moscow in my next entry...
Yes, I know I haven't finished my travel stories; I hope make a dent in that here in this blog entry.
Visiting Russia has always been a goal of mine; before the geek side of me took over in college, I was a political science nut, and before that a history nut, and I had always taken a interest in pre-revolutionary tsarist Russia. I read volumes and volumes about the Romanovs, from Peter the Great to Tsar Nicholas II's demise. I also took a semester of Russian, which has long since rusted in the intervening years. And before anyone asks, I think Anastasia died with the rest of her family in Yekaterinburg. I am not a raving monarchist or anything like that, but during the Cold War, I always thought to better know one's adversary, one should know their history...
I arrived in Moscow on a Lufthansa flight from Frankfurt, which was 90 min late, as we had a unexpected equipment change when the original plane came into Frankfurt from Lisbon. Once the plane landed, I got my first taste of Russian hospitality in the form of passport control. There is a reason there is big business in firms that "expedite passport formalities". The lines are really non-existent, it's just a mad semi-organized mass of people going up against three or four stations (no separation between Russian/CIS citizens and the rest of the world, just one line for crew/diplomats) as wave upon wave of arriving international flights land... The worst bit was at the other end of passport control was the baggage claim area, and I could see my bag going around and around the carousel hoping it wouldn't get picked up. 90 minutes later, I finally got my passport stamped.
(Note to the folks in the Russian consulate - the pre-printed landing cards that came with my visa are useless, the Russian immigration officers just ignore them and want the landing card you filled out on the flight instead)
Once I grabbed my bag, I met up with my local contact in Moscow at the meeting point, and headed to my hotel. I was staying at the Novotel Moscow Centre, which is 5km from the Kremlin, and is just above a Moscow metro station, which would come in handy when traveling inside the city during my stay. I had been awake and in the same clothes for 36 hours (since mid-day in Muscat and thru my layover in Frankfurt) so I was eager to take a shower, grab a bite to eat, and collapse in my bed. Despite that, I was trying to take in the sights as we drove into the city centre in a old Skoda diesel wiping away the grime sprayed on the windshield from the roadway as there was a fresh layer of snow on the ground. 30 min later, I was in the hotel lobby checking in... one problem - they were out of pre-paid cards for the wireless network, and wouldn't get new cards for two more days... I showered, grabbed a bite, then collapsed onto the bed...
Awoke to a nice, mostly clear day - checked w/ the lobby again regarding Internet access in the room, this time I got the manager, and when she noticed I was a member of the Accor Favorite Guest program, she offered to upgrade my room to a business suite (which has a active RJ45 port so I had a wired Internet connection) at no charge. (once again proving that getting that Accor card was the best €130 I spent this year...) I quickly changed rooms and checked email before my contact arrived to do a bit of sightseeing... more on this in my next entry...
Leaving Muscat to Frankfurt on Lufthansa, I (finally) encountered a flight that had ConneXion by Boeing Internet service (on a Airbus 330 no less), in the form of Lufthansa FlyNet. Finally I could make productive use of my known in-flight insomnia. Well, that WAS the plan...
For background - There are two price plans with ConneXion based on how long the flight is, a per minute plan where you pay for one or two hours, then a per-minute charge after that. You can also pay for a session that covers the whole flight. Since I don't have an extended battery at the moment for this laptop, I opted for the two hour plan. As well, Lufthansa also has a 50% off promotional coupon for using FlyNet, so that was a nice bonus. You can pay by credit card or via a Wi-Fi roaming partner (like Boingo Wireless in the US).
So I signed up, and after registration, you then have to sign in and verify your payment information (in my case, a credit card). Signing in - no problem, verifying credit card - no problem. Getting a welcome page telling me I have successfully logged into the service - problem. The page kept timing out after spitting out the title. "Your Secure Transaction Has Been Processed". Oh crap.
There was on-line help via a web chat mechanism, and I logged in there to see what was going on. Before I proceed further, I should mention that the flight from Muscat to Frankfurt wasn't non-stop, there was a stop en route in Riyadh (Saudi Arabia) for about an hour, and I had attempted to log in about an hour after we resumed flight. After about a minute I was connected to one of their techs, which wanted to verify my login name and flight number, which I did. The response back was "That flight has already landed, Sir". (apparently the service only works on valid, in flight routes) I responded with "It can't be as I am at 30,000 feet on my way to Frankfurt at the moment". He responds back "This is LH 633 from Muscat to Riyadh, correct?" I said "Yes, but that flight then continues on to Frankfurt". He responded "Our system shows that flight has landed and our system is never wrong, can you check to see if the flight number changed?"
(Notice to call center personnel - never, ever, tell me the computer is always correct; as it's only as correct as the human entering in the source information...)
I called over the flight attendant, and after showing her the chat log, verified that, no the flight number did not change leaving Riyadh, and she looked bemused at the whole situation. He then asked "can you give me the tail number on the plane?" (basically the airplane's serial number), at that point I said, "Just make sure I haven't been charged for this flight, and I'll disconnect" He then seemed to believe that I was on a real flight, and asked "Did you make sure you used your billing address with the credit card you used?" (well yes, it's standard procedure) "Yes", "Can you try again". (tried - timed out at the same place again). "Do you have cookies enabled and your firewall disabled" "Yes". "I see we have a successful authorization from your credit card company". "Just make sure I haven't been charged for this flight, and I'll disconnect" "Let me compensate you for your time with some free service". (sends login info - still times out).
The passenger next to me also watched this exchange in amusement, and tried it himself on his laptop running Windows/IE. It did the same thing to him, so you can't chalk it up to Konqueror doing the wrong thing here.
I haven't checked Google yet to see if others have seen this problem as well. I certainly can't fathom that Boeing's system couldn't handle multi-hop flights. I might try again on my next Internet-enabled flight, but will be wary...
This segment of my trip was always, to be fair, a quirk of scheduling. To obtain this particular *A round the world fare, I needed to keep under 29,000 miles for the whole trip, and I didn't want to fly from Karachi back to Bangkok again, thus adding 2+ hours to my flight onward to Europe. Thai Airways did start Bangkok-Moscow non-stop service last month, but it is only three days a week, and I couldn't fit it in my pre-existing schedule. (and it's on a MD-11) So the only *A flight westbound from Karachi was to Muscat on Thai, which is actually the remainder of the flight (TG 507) I took to get to Karachi in the first place. From Muscat, I could take Lufthansa back to Europe and proceed with the rest of the trip. However, that flight leaves as my Thai flight arrives in Muscat, so there was a day layover, and I had booked a room at the local Sheraton to rest up and prepare for the long flight to Frankfurt.
The GSM situation here is normal; there are two providers, Oman Mobile and another (OM 03) that I cannot spell for the life of me (it would have probably looked better in Arabic anyway). SMS accessibility was normal, and call quality back to the US was pretty good for being on the other side of the world (just a short cutoff at the end of words/sentences)
Muscat is a sleepy little Gulf State capital (of the Sultanate of Oman). It has a ample supply of oil (you can see the oil export terminal on the way into the city from the airport) and the city is clean and tidy (and every building seems to be flying the national flag) The Sultan has made it a policy the last couple of years to encourage tourism, and there are some luxury resorts popping up outside of town and a large influx of German tourists, but the city itself seems to have been unaffected (so far - ask me again in the next five years)
The airport is tiny by international standards, and we disembarked on the tarmac and took buses back to the terminal. There I purchased my tourist visa on the spot (for 6 Omani rials = 18 USD) and was stamped thru immigration. I was picked up by the hotel, and the driver and I got to chatting about Oman and what was here to offer (and in his estimation, how it was better than Dubai) ;) Also passed by a large number of American fast food joints like Hardee's, KFC, McDonalds & Subway (apparently the local franchisees are generating a bundle of cash), as well as a traffic jam full of youngsters celebrating a win by the local soccer team. Checked into the hotel, wrested with the wireless Internet connection in my room for a bit, then went to bed.
When I awoke, and looked outside, it was a surprise. To be honest, I was expecting lots of sand. :) In fact, most of Oman is rocky and rugged, and Muscat is surrounded by mountains of rock. The plan was to look around, do a little shopping, then head to the airport for my night flight. One problem with this otherwise brilliant plan... It was Friday (the Muslim weekend is Fri-Sat, not Sat-Sun), and the town closes down from noon to 4pm to allow everyone the chance to pray & rest (this being a Muslim country) So after finding this tidbit out from a local cabbie, I joined up with a Pakistani expat (who runs a typing business and who was in the cab) to have some tea & lunch. Hey, I had nothing else to do, but jumping into a cab with a complete stranger out of the blue was probably something I wouldn't have done with more thought... (Hey, it works for the Lonely Planet folks)
Actually it was great, we talked about cricket and Pakistan (he wanted to know what Karachi was like these days) I had a interesting take on fish and chips, and we went walking thru town and visited where the local truckers hung out and had some fried sweet potatoes (don't tell my doctor!) which is a local delicacy. Being in that truckers restaurant must have been a shock to the regulars, it's not every day a clean-cut American sits down and eats with them, and I got some interesting stares. :) I certainly got an experience I wouldn't have ever expected. ;)
I am here in the airport now in Muscat, in the Oman Air lounge (where all the business class passengers from all the airlines are sent). Just like my trip to Saint Pierre et Miquelon back seven years ago when I was visiting Newfoundland, a quirk in scheduling ended up being a rewarding bonus, and I hope I have the chance to come back to do a proper survey. :)
Compared to Dhaka, my impressions of Karachi are almost as different as night and day. Whereas the streets of Dhaka are almost always congested with vehicles constantly maneuvering and honking their horns, the streets of Karachi are wide and lightly trafficked (as well as a relative lack of horn usage) There are of course rush hour periods, and jams whenever there are VIP escorts going around the city, and there has been a lot of them (see below on why).
The GSM situation here is odd; there are seven GSM providers (and one CDMA), but international roamers can only use Mobilcom (PK 01). I was hoping to use Telenor Pakistan since I use Telenor extensively when I am in Norway. Apparently none of the providers outside of Mobilcom have made the necessary roaming agreements as of yet... (Drat, but Mobilcom is good, they even support & sell Crackberries...)
As for VIP's, there are a lot of them in town currently; when I arrived it was the end of a annual film festival so there were a lot of film stars from the region. (I wouldn't have recognized any of them anyway) The past two days, the hotel I am staying in is full of cricketers (The England cricket team is on a tour of Pakistan) and they are playing a one-day international here in Karachi. So there is security all about (on the rooftops with rifles, and in the lobby w/ AK-47's) Makes you feel both safe and nervous at the same time...
And the Pakistani people I have been in contact with have been kind and generous of their time and hospitality. Any reservations I may have had for my safety here were quickly swept away.
As for my stay, I was able to complete the work that needed to be done here a little early, so I spent yesterday afternoon shopping and catching some of the views around town. Because I still have half of my trip to go, I wasn't going to get much here (as it could get lost or break), but Pakistan is well known for their leather goods, so I was at Jafferjee's getting a new key chain and wallet. Very good craftsmanship and at a steal for what I would have had to pay for the same quality in the US or Europe. After that, it was of to the beach to stick my hand in the Arabian Sea, and then a celebratory dinner at a Mughal-themed restaurant near the airport. (where the guy dressed as a Mulghal king looks oddly like Little Richard) ;)
Today, I have been taking it easy, just catching up on what is happening back home as well as doing some last bits of cleanup on site (site documentation, etc), and conducted some training of the local staff (I am under the delusion that I am actually starting to get good at this training stuff...) before heading to the airport for a 10pm flight to Muscat (Oman). Thai's version of Aerolotto spat out seat 48A, which I am not too concerned about since it's only a two hour flight...
Before I close this entry, many thanks need to go to Haris and the
staff at Cybernet (my hosts, and the largest ISP in Pakistan
I can even get a Wi-Fi signal (probably from another lounge), but the SSID isn't being advertised. :( Nice view of the airport strip though.
The airport is pretty busy compared to when I arrived on the 7th, as the annual Haj flights to Mecca have started. The airport is teeming with pilgrims with bags in tow and their ticket/passports hanging around their necks. I read in the local English paper this morning that Biman (the Bangladesh national airline) is chartering one 747 and one A340 to handle these flights over the next month. This is a airline that doesn't have anything bigger than one MD-11 (for their Dhaka-London route).
No luck in the seat department, Thai's Aerolotto spat out seat 46K on a referbished MD-11 (the plane looks nice in Thai's new livery). At least the food on this flight will be enjoyable... :)
Now to find a live power plug to jack into...
