A very long trip!
Wednesday, 23 May 2007 - Singapore
Over the past few years there have been things that I have experienced or observed that have made me laugh, cry, get mad or just want to share with others... And maybe, just sometimes... I might have an opinion or two or maybe even a few more... Here are a few of those instances... Welcome to my world... So go make yourself a drink and take a look at some of our experiences over the years.
Over the past few years there have been things that I have experienced or observed that have made me laugh, cry, get mad or just want to share with others... And maybe, just sometimes... I might have an opinion or two or maybe even a few more... Here are a few of those instances... Welcome to my world... So go make yourself a drink and take a look at some of our experiences over the years.
06 December 1997 - Hong Kong
I was on a flight sitting next to an elderly American couple who were on their dream trip to Asia. They clearly wanted to talk and any attempts to get some work done were thwarted by constant questions after I mistakenly answered the initial question about where I lived… The closing comments were along the lines of “you’re so lucky to have a job that has you traveling…” It made me think about the number of people who think that jobs that involve lots of travel are glamorous… For those of you who travel a lot I think you can relate... For those of you who don't travel a lot but would like to, and think it is a wonderful life... read this... And it is all true!
Let me tell you about this trip… We are working on a deal with a large hotel group with several hotels in the region. They asked that we do a feasibility study and visit the properties they are planning to involve in the business. It starts like this:
I was on a flight sitting next to an elderly American couple who were on their dream trip to Asia. They clearly wanted to talk and any attempts to get some work done were thwarted by constant questions after I mistakenly answered the initial question about where I lived… The closing comments were along the lines of “you’re so lucky to have a job that has you traveling…” It made me think about the number of people who think that jobs that involve lots of travel are glamorous… For those of you who travel a lot I think you can relate... For those of you who don't travel a lot but would like to, and think it is a wonderful life... read this... And it is all true!
Let me tell you about this trip… We are working on a deal with a large hotel group with several hotels in the region. They asked that we do a feasibility study and visit the properties they are planning to involve in the business. It starts like this:
Thursday - Singapore – Bangkok – Hong Kong
5:00am Alarm goes off.
6:00am Taxi to the airport (this pre-booking thing really works). Freshly dry cleaned suit and dress shirt are nicely creased. You look good, even if you do think so yourself.
6:30am Arrive airport.
6:50am Complete flight check-in after 20 minutes in line with no checked bags. No gate-side check-in in Asia, you can’t get through immigration without your boarding pass already in hand.
7:05am Clear immigration after long lines as several flights are leaving at the same time. Immigration officer rips new leather passport cover trying to get the passport out, to process it through the new electronic passport reader that doesn’t read US passports anyway.
5:00am Alarm goes off.
6:00am Taxi to the airport (this pre-booking thing really works). Freshly dry cleaned suit and dress shirt are nicely creased. You look good, even if you do think so yourself.
6:30am Arrive airport.
6:50am Complete flight check-in after 20 minutes in line with no checked bags. No gate-side check-in in Asia, you can’t get through immigration without your boarding pass already in hand.
7:05am Clear immigration after long lines as several flights are leaving at the same time. Immigration officer rips new leather passport cover trying to get the passport out, to process it through the new electronic passport reader that doesn’t read US passports anyway.
7:20am Arrive Gate 71. Should have known that you would be leaving from the last gate and would have to hoof it a couple of kilometers. Should have used a cart; the computer, presentation materials and suit bag got heavy after the first 100 meters. The new shoes squeak.
7:25am Clear baggage x-ray but the metal detector screams after forgetting to take your hand phone off your belt, prompts security guards to spring into action for a full body frisk.
8:00am Announcement made that Thai Airways is running late, new departure time is 8:15. Boarding begins at 8:16....
8:20am You suddenly notice your seat is 38B. You asked for an isle, you got the centre seat. The only overhead storage open is 6 rows behind you so you will have to swim “up stream” to retrieve your bag after landing. You worried about having two carry on items but quickly figure out you are an amateur in the hand-carry luggage world as all of the Filipino maids havestarted their annual Christmas sojourn back to Manila and are each carrying an oversized Sony or JVC ghetto blaster and infamous giant red, white and blue plastic shopping bags large enough to carry a year’s worth of presents for the family.
8:25am The seats on either side of you are occupied by people who have been travelling for days and have not showered in at least two. You start looking around for empty seats and pray for some no-shows.
8:30am Doors close. Full flight, no chance for empty seats. Long taxi to runway. Wheels up 50 minutes late.
9:55am Touch down in Bangkok. Actually a 2 ¼ hour flight but there is a one hour time difference. The guy sitting by the window made you get up 4 times in the two hours so he could go to the bathroom. The guy on the isle snored so badly it was difficult to concentrate on the material you were trying to review before your first meeting.
10:05am Doors open, you fight your way back the six rows to retrieve the bag. Upon exiting you realize you are at gate 41 which is the second to the last gate. Learning from past mistakes you look for a cart for the long haul to immigration. No carts available. Your shoulder strap is digging into the flesh.
7:25am Clear baggage x-ray but the metal detector screams after forgetting to take your hand phone off your belt, prompts security guards to spring into action for a full body frisk.
8:00am Announcement made that Thai Airways is running late, new departure time is 8:15. Boarding begins at 8:16....
8:20am You suddenly notice your seat is 38B. You asked for an isle, you got the centre seat. The only overhead storage open is 6 rows behind you so you will have to swim “up stream” to retrieve your bag after landing. You worried about having two carry on items but quickly figure out you are an amateur in the hand-carry luggage world as all of the Filipino maids havestarted their annual Christmas sojourn back to Manila and are each carrying an oversized Sony or JVC ghetto blaster and infamous giant red, white and blue plastic shopping bags large enough to carry a year’s worth of presents for the family.
8:25am The seats on either side of you are occupied by people who have been travelling for days and have not showered in at least two. You start looking around for empty seats and pray for some no-shows.
8:30am Doors close. Full flight, no chance for empty seats. Long taxi to runway. Wheels up 50 minutes late.
9:55am Touch down in Bangkok. Actually a 2 ¼ hour flight but there is a one hour time difference. The guy sitting by the window made you get up 4 times in the two hours so he could go to the bathroom. The guy on the isle snored so badly it was difficult to concentrate on the material you were trying to review before your first meeting.
10:05am Doors open, you fight your way back the six rows to retrieve the bag. Upon exiting you realize you are at gate 41 which is the second to the last gate. Learning from past mistakes you look for a cart for the long haul to immigration. No carts available. Your shoulder strap is digging into the flesh.
10:15am You are #21 in line for immigration clearance. You shouldn’t have worn the new shoes, the blister on your left heel is throbbing.
10:45am You clear immigration and the customs officer insists on checking the contents of your brief case as if it is full of cash... and asking questions about why you are in Thailand. He fondles your laptop, you wonder if he took the US$100 bill that you always keep tucked in the side pocket for emergencies.
10:50am The representative for the complimentary hotel transfer is no where in sight. You debate standing in the long line for a prepaid taxi voucher or risk getting ripped off by a “no meter” taxi.You opt for the shorter, cheaper “no meter taxi” line and also find “no air conditioning”; it is 88 degrees and 90% humidity. You can feel the creases in your suit pants and freshly starched shirt wilting. The blister on your heel pops, your sock is wet and heel is burning.
10:45am You clear immigration and the customs officer insists on checking the contents of your brief case as if it is full of cash... and asking questions about why you are in Thailand. He fondles your laptop, you wonder if he took the US$100 bill that you always keep tucked in the side pocket for emergencies.
10:50am The representative for the complimentary hotel transfer is no where in sight. You debate standing in the long line for a prepaid taxi voucher or risk getting ripped off by a “no meter” taxi.You opt for the shorter, cheaper “no meter taxi” line and also find “no air conditioning”; it is 88 degrees and 90% humidity. You can feel the creases in your suit pants and freshly starched shirt wilting. The blister on your heel pops, your sock is wet and heel is burning.
11:25am Arrive hotel. No time to wash your face before your 11:30 meeting. You’re pleased with yourself for being on time in spite of a rough start. You run a comb through your hair and hope the client won’t notice the limp suit, wrinkled shirt, and flushed sweaty face. Introductions. The hotel General Manager thinks it best to start with a property tour. Where better to start than outside in the all too hot/sunny pool and garden area. You are limping and can feel your sock sticking to your open blister.
12:30pm Tour ends. Time for lunch with the management team. The General Manager is proud of their Indonesian food festival, your least favourite Asian cuisine. You are dying for a Diet Coke with lots of ice; you wind up with warm papaya juice. You’d love a piece of chocolate cake for dessert but you try to smile while making yummy sounds while choking down the red beans, raw corn kernels with shaved ice and some sort of sweet green syrup in a fancy crystal glass.
12:30pm Tour ends. Time for lunch with the management team. The General Manager is proud of their Indonesian food festival, your least favourite Asian cuisine. You are dying for a Diet Coke with lots of ice; you wind up with warm papaya juice. You’d love a piece of chocolate cake for dessert but you try to smile while making yummy sounds while choking down the red beans, raw corn kernels with shaved ice and some sort of sweet green syrup in a fancy crystal glass.
1:35pm Presentation starts. The GM takes only two 5-minute calls during the presentations. not bad. The Resident Manager finally turns off his pager after the 5th page. It’s a musical pager, which plays London Bridges Falling Down. (You spend the next two days humming the tune to yourself and wondering if you remember all the words. Then you start thinking if there are any other words other than London Bridges falling Down, Falling Down. You'd love to ask someone but don't want to look stupid. You keep thinking about it while humming.)
4:25pm The meeting ends. You have the information you need to start the planning process.
4:30pm Goodbyes and thank yous done. You stuff all the materials you were given into your bag, it is 3lbs heavier. Feels like 10. The GM offers a hotel car back to the airport. You feel confident that you have lots of time to make your 6:30 flight to Hong Kong. You relax and luxuriate in the air-conditioned comfort of a well-used 1988 Mercedes.
6:10pm You arrive at the airport. You should have checked your international calendar and should have known that Friday was the King’s birthday and everyone would be heading out of town for the long weekend. Although in an air-conditioned car you are sweating from the thought of missing your flight while sitting in traffic. It took you 20 minutes to get from airport to hotel, 1 hour and 40 minutes to get from hotel to airport Happy B Day King!
6:25pm For once you are glad to find your flight has been delayed 30 minutes (Thai Airways again). You argue with the check-in staff… you know you should have been there two hours in advance but the traffic wasn’t your fault. You ask for a supervisor, berate him and insist on a seat even though you are late… You apologise for being rude after the supervisor very nicely upgrades you to business class because you were convincing about being a very frequent flyer on Thai. You feel some deep seeded remorse about lying about the “flying Thai a lot thing”, and yet have a great feeling of victory, you got the flight and an upgrade too! They tell you to run to immigration, the flight leaves in 35 minutes.
4:25pm The meeting ends. You have the information you need to start the planning process.
4:30pm Goodbyes and thank yous done. You stuff all the materials you were given into your bag, it is 3lbs heavier. Feels like 10. The GM offers a hotel car back to the airport. You feel confident that you have lots of time to make your 6:30 flight to Hong Kong. You relax and luxuriate in the air-conditioned comfort of a well-used 1988 Mercedes.
6:10pm You arrive at the airport. You should have checked your international calendar and should have known that Friday was the King’s birthday and everyone would be heading out of town for the long weekend. Although in an air-conditioned car you are sweating from the thought of missing your flight while sitting in traffic. It took you 20 minutes to get from airport to hotel, 1 hour and 40 minutes to get from hotel to airport Happy B Day King!
6:25pm For once you are glad to find your flight has been delayed 30 minutes (Thai Airways again). You argue with the check-in staff… you know you should have been there two hours in advance but the traffic wasn’t your fault. You ask for a supervisor, berate him and insist on a seat even though you are late… You apologise for being rude after the supervisor very nicely upgrades you to business class because you were convincing about being a very frequent flyer on Thai. You feel some deep seeded remorse about lying about the “flying Thai a lot thing”, and yet have a great feeling of victory, you got the flight and an upgrade too! They tell you to run to immigration, the flight leaves in 35 minutes.
6:30pm In the morning rush you forgot to exchange S$ for more Thai Baht. You already used the few baht you had left over from the last trip for the taxi to the hotel. You run in circles looking for a currency exchange counter to be able to pay the 500 baht airport tax. You find a counter where you can use your credit card to pay the fee but they slap you with a 5% handling charge. No choice! It pisses you off. You make a mental note to complain to Amex later but never get around to it.
6:40pm You are #11 in line for immigration. The elderly couple in front of you has forgotten to fill out their exit form and the immigration officer patiently explains what to put in each box. They have no idea what he is saying and proceed to discuss each point with each other.
6:40pm You are #11 in line for immigration. The elderly couple in front of you has forgotten to fill out their exit form and the immigration officer patiently explains what to put in each box. They have no idea what he is saying and proceed to discuss each point with each other.
6:55pm They are calling your name over the PA. "Hey you! Late Person! The last passenger on Thai flight 606 please report to gate 22 immediately! We are holding the entire flight because of you.” You feel like everyone is staring at you.
6:59pm You remembered to take the phone off your belt for the security check but x-ray machine eats the strap on your suit bag. You’ll never be able to find the exact replacement for your favourite travel companion.
7:05pm They shut the door behind you. You are winded; everyone is glaring at you. Your “upgraded business class seat” turns out to be coach seating with the middle seat folded down to look like a table. You realise that the nice check-in supervisor still got the last word. They have typical “airline tasty water”, warm orange juice and cold coffee. Still no Diet Coke.
6:59pm You remembered to take the phone off your belt for the security check but x-ray machine eats the strap on your suit bag. You’ll never be able to find the exact replacement for your favourite travel companion.
7:05pm They shut the door behind you. You are winded; everyone is glaring at you. Your “upgraded business class seat” turns out to be coach seating with the middle seat folded down to look like a table. You realise that the nice check-in supervisor still got the last word. They have typical “airline tasty water”, warm orange juice and cold coffee. Still no Diet Coke.
10:45pm Wheels down in Hong Kong. You had planned on re-organising your notes but you nodded off 30 minutes into the flight and woke up with a stiff neck and a little drool on your new hand painted silk tie that you’ve only worn once that the kids gave you for Father's Day. Are the colours supposed to bleed like that?
10:55pm No gates available. The plane is parked way out on the tarmac. Fortunately the rain had slowed to a drizzle as you came down the uncovered stairway from the aircraft to the buses. To complete "the look", now your clothes are wrinkled, damp and your hair is frizzed.
10:55pm No gates available. The plane is parked way out on the tarmac. Fortunately the rain had slowed to a drizzle as you came down the uncovered stairway from the aircraft to the buses. To complete "the look", now your clothes are wrinkled, damp and your hair is frizzed.
11:00pm The good news is the bus drops you close to immigration. The bad news is that three 747’s from Bombay, Beijing and Karachi landed five minutes before you. You are #38 in the one of 40 immigration lines.
11:40pm One noticeable change to Hong Kong since the handover to China… Customs stop you and actually check the contents of all your bags. (The first time for you in a few decades of travel in and out of Hong Kong.)
12:00m The “complimentary airport transfer arranged by the hotel turns out to cost HK$500.00 (US$60) for a 10 minute ride which you learn after the fact. Will have to discuss it with the hotel staff in the morning.
12:10am Arrive hotel. Bellman grabs the brief case before you do. Throws it on the trolley. You hope your laptop survives the hard landing. The room clerk says you have one message. It turns out to be four faxes that needed answering a couple of hours ago.
11:40pm One noticeable change to Hong Kong since the handover to China… Customs stop you and actually check the contents of all your bags. (The first time for you in a few decades of travel in and out of Hong Kong.)
12:00m The “complimentary airport transfer arranged by the hotel turns out to cost HK$500.00 (US$60) for a 10 minute ride which you learn after the fact. Will have to discuss it with the hotel staff in the morning.
12:10am Arrive hotel. Bellman grabs the brief case before you do. Throws it on the trolley. You hope your laptop survives the hard landing. The room clerk says you have one message. It turns out to be four faxes that needed answering a couple of hours ago.
12:30am Faxes read and (laptop still works after the pounding, thank goodness!), type email responses to the faxes. Battery on laptop starts beeping demanding power. Brought the wrong electrical adapter for Hong Kong but find usable shaver only outlet in the bathroom. Finish typing responses sitting on the pot (lid down). Unplug phone, but the cord won’t reach the laptop that is now on the floor just outside the bathroom, charging. Lucky to find a telephone connector that you mistakenly took from another hotel months earlier in briefcase that allows you to connect one phone cord to another. Cord stretches from wall to computer with a couple inches to spare! Dial up Internet connection successful. 14 messages come in. 10 demand answers, 3 advertise a new Internet provider in Malaysia that you'll never even consider using and 1 joke from your Mom that makes you laugh out loud. You look around your empty room to see if anyone saw you sitting there laughing to yourself. You think, “What a stupid thing to worry about”...
12:55am Decide only 5 emails really need to be answered tonight the rest will have to wait.
1:00am Call for a 7:00am wake up call to be able to answer the remaining emails and make 8am breakfast appointment with unscheduled client (result of one of the faxes). Carefully peel the now dried-on-to-the-blister sock off… Wipe tears of pain from eyes. Lights out.
Friday – Hong Kong – Penang, (North Malaysia) For the balance of Friday, after the 8am 1 ½ hour breakfast meeting, jump back up the above schedule at 11:30am convert it to 9:30 and the meeting schedule in Hong Kong pretty much follows the same course as Bangkok.
3:00pm Heading back to the airport for a 3-½ hour Cathay Pacific flight to Penang. Usual immigration and customs drama. You think you’ve died and gone to heaven when you figure you are in the last row with 4 vacant seats! You push up the armrests, stretch out and wake and hour later rubbing your cheek. You’ve fallen asleep with your cheek pressed on the seat belt buckle. You hope the indentation is not permanent.
12:55am Decide only 5 emails really need to be answered tonight the rest will have to wait.
1:00am Call for a 7:00am wake up call to be able to answer the remaining emails and make 8am breakfast appointment with unscheduled client (result of one of the faxes). Carefully peel the now dried-on-to-the-blister sock off… Wipe tears of pain from eyes. Lights out.
Friday – Hong Kong – Penang, (North Malaysia) For the balance of Friday, after the 8am 1 ½ hour breakfast meeting, jump back up the above schedule at 11:30am convert it to 9:30 and the meeting schedule in Hong Kong pretty much follows the same course as Bangkok.
3:00pm Heading back to the airport for a 3-½ hour Cathay Pacific flight to Penang. Usual immigration and customs drama. You think you’ve died and gone to heaven when you figure you are in the last row with 4 vacant seats! You push up the armrests, stretch out and wake and hour later rubbing your cheek. You’ve fallen asleep with your cheek pressed on the seat belt buckle. You hope the indentation is not permanent.
7:45pm Arrive Penang and take 45-minute taxi ride to the hotel. The GM is waiting because he has another appointment that has come up during our scheduled Saturday morning slot and wants to meet right then. Meet until 11:30pm sitting out on the veranda. Might have been nice had you showered and changed but by this time you can feel the waistband of your suit pants are soaked with sweat. You wonder if one of the 3 mosquitoes that bit you carried the deadly Cholera or Dengue Fever virus that had recently broken out in the area. You cautiously scratch the bites, thinking the one on you cheek is far worse than a normal bite and if you are lucky it was only a Malaria carrying mosquito, makes you sick but usually doesn’t kill you. The GM tells he will arrange for the property tour at 7:30am tomorrow with his assistant. Head to room, thrilled to find a mini-bar with real Coke (prefer Diet but beggars can’t be choosers) disappointed to find the mini-bar was not plugged in. Slug down very warm can of Coke. Want to pick up email. Not possible, the phone lines are hot-wired into the wall and phone.
12:34am You turn out the lights but realise you are not tired after your refreshing little nap on the plane (and perhaps the sugar rush you got from the Coke didn’t help either). Not to mention the runny toilet is making a high pitched sound. You take off the lid, jiggle the float thing and finally figure out it is the toilet next door and there is nothing you can do about it. (The buckle indention was gone by the time you reached the hotel but you could swear the GM was staring at your cheek. Now the cheek is really swelling from the bite. You start sweating and convince yourself you’ve contracted something deadly…) For some stupid reason you turn the lights back on and feel compelled to share the day’s adventure with a few close friends through email. You pound on the keys for a while and wake up with the machine still open, next to you on the bed, battery completely drained. You hope the AutoSave worked and preserved your mini-novel.
12:34am You turn out the lights but realise you are not tired after your refreshing little nap on the plane (and perhaps the sugar rush you got from the Coke didn’t help either). Not to mention the runny toilet is making a high pitched sound. You take off the lid, jiggle the float thing and finally figure out it is the toilet next door and there is nothing you can do about it. (The buckle indention was gone by the time you reached the hotel but you could swear the GM was staring at your cheek. Now the cheek is really swelling from the bite. You start sweating and convince yourself you’ve contracted something deadly…) For some stupid reason you turn the lights back on and feel compelled to share the day’s adventure with a few close friends through email. You pound on the keys for a while and wake up with the machine still open, next to you on the bed, battery completely drained. You hope the AutoSave worked and preserved your mini-novel.
Saturday – Penang – Singapore
7:30am You meet the Assistant Manager for the tour right on time in spite of the fact that as you were buttoning your collar the button came off in your hand. You were lucky to find a sewing kit in the desk but disappointed to find thread, buttons but no needle. You pull your tie tight enough to strangle yourself and hope they won’t notice the missing button. His English is about as good as your Bahasa Malaysia… You laugh together about not being able to communicate very well and press on. Suddenly you find yourself talking louder and using your hands a lot to make yourself understood. Walking by the travel desk you ask them to check to see if you can get on an earlier flight than the scheduled 5pm flight. You’ll be done early and can get home to see the son’s swim meet and/or daughters rugby match. 11:30am flight available and confirmed. Fantastic! 9:30am Complete tour and rush to room to pack and stuff more materials given you by the Assistant Manager into an overflowing brief case. The zipper gets stuck and rips up your Visa statement that you’ve been carrying around for three weeks meaning to pay. You wonder what the late charges will set you back and hope they will approve just one more hotel bill on checkout.
9:45am In a taxi on the way to the airport. For 45 minutes the driver tells you how Malaysia is the most technologically advanced country in Asia. You chuckle your disagreement to yourself but keep giving him the polite yes, I agree with you nods and grunts He keeps turning around and looking at you when talking and you get very nervous as you drive along narrow winding roads. yes"> On two occasions you scream “Look Out What does happen to a Toyota van when it hits a stationary water buffalo at 80k per hour?
7:30am You meet the Assistant Manager for the tour right on time in spite of the fact that as you were buttoning your collar the button came off in your hand. You were lucky to find a sewing kit in the desk but disappointed to find thread, buttons but no needle. You pull your tie tight enough to strangle yourself and hope they won’t notice the missing button. His English is about as good as your Bahasa Malaysia… You laugh together about not being able to communicate very well and press on. Suddenly you find yourself talking louder and using your hands a lot to make yourself understood. Walking by the travel desk you ask them to check to see if you can get on an earlier flight than the scheduled 5pm flight. You’ll be done early and can get home to see the son’s swim meet and/or daughters rugby match. 11:30am flight available and confirmed. Fantastic! 9:30am Complete tour and rush to room to pack and stuff more materials given you by the Assistant Manager into an overflowing brief case. The zipper gets stuck and rips up your Visa statement that you’ve been carrying around for three weeks meaning to pay. You wonder what the late charges will set you back and hope they will approve just one more hotel bill on checkout.
9:45am In a taxi on the way to the airport. For 45 minutes the driver tells you how Malaysia is the most technologically advanced country in Asia. You chuckle your disagreement to yourself but keep giving him the polite yes, I agree with you nods and grunts He keeps turning around and looking at you when talking and you get very nervous as you drive along narrow winding roads. yes"> On two occasions you scream “Look Out What does happen to a Toyota van when it hits a stationary water buffalo at 80k per hour?
10:30am Arrive airport (one hour ahead of flight!) Impressed?! Only to find that the flight has been cancelled and have been re-booked on the 5pm flight you were originally schedule to take anyway. Not enough time to go anywhere so find a quiet corner and organise some notes, prepare a few more emails, work on your novel and use a nail clipper to cut off the fuzz balls that now appear on your suit pants from rubbing against the suit bag. Look for a Diet Coke (to no avail though, they had Pepsi but as a die hard Coke fan that will never do). The flight gets you back to Singapore by 6:30pm, your wife has been at the kid’s swim and rugby match all day. They were hungry and tired so they ate without you.
7:15pm You don’t bother to re-heat the leftovers. You eat them cold but relish your tall, ice filled glass of Diet Coke. You are just in time to help put up the $299 crummy, genuine plastic Christmas tree you bought for the house. Your job is to unravel the Christmas lights that you swore you would store properly the year before to avoid having to spend hours doing it again.
11:00pm Your spouse wakes you from a deep sleep in your favourite chair and tells you to go to bed. The tree was decorated without your assistance. One strand of still tangled lights sits in your lap. You comment that the tree looks good but needs more lights. You get a dirty look from everyone and decide it is time to hit the sheets. Scratching your cheek, you have a nightmare about being diagnosed with some rare tropical disease. The next morning you wake up with a nasty scab on your cheek but no other signs of being any worse for wear.
11:00pm Your spouse wakes you from a deep sleep in your favourite chair and tells you to go to bed. The tree was decorated without your assistance. One strand of still tangled lights sits in your lap. You comment that the tree looks good but needs more lights. You get a dirty look from everyone and decide it is time to hit the sheets. Scratching your cheek, you have a nightmare about being diagnosed with some rare tropical disease. The next morning you wake up with a nasty scab on your cheek but no other signs of being any worse for wear.
Yep… The life of a “Glamorous Traveller” is to be envied!
Postscript: On Tuesday when you are packing for the next trip you discover that you forgot to remove the now 5 day old, rained on, white dress shirt from a side zip pocket in your suit bag. You wonder if the mildew smell will ever come out of both the shirt and bag and make a mental note to keep an eye out for the replacement strap and not to put anything in that side pouch until the smell goes away…
Postscript: On Tuesday when you are packing for the next trip you discover that you forgot to remove the now 5 day old, rained on, white dress shirt from a side zip pocket in your suit bag. You wonder if the mildew smell will ever come out of both the shirt and bag and make a mental note to keep an eye out for the replacement strap and not to put anything in that side pouch until the smell goes away…
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