Category: Travel

From my view out my hotel window overlooking gates 62A, it appears to be a beautiful day down here in Houston.

I fled work’s unrelenting requests at 2 pm yesterday, cursing as I realized that I’d left the cell phone charger on my nightstand at home. I swung by the house, quickly consuming all the extra “meet and greet” time I’d built in to my schedule for my fellow CO51 flyers. Arriving at the airport, I chased them down, always a step behind, until I caught them at the boarding gate. Oddly enough, they spotted me first, which leaves me wondering if there’s some sort of flyertalk “look”. Either that, or my frantic deer-in-headlights expression, gave me away.

Our motley crew had an easy ride down to Houston, with those in the front being so kind as to have the flight attendants bring free alcohol to those of us trapped in the back of the bus. Since this was my first time on a CO flight since last August, I had a chance to see the new CEO’s welcome video. It wasn’t bad, really, but it missed something from the “je ne sais quoi” of the old Bethune video.

The buffet dinner Friday night at the Marriott went over well. Finally seeing some of the individuals behind the messages on Flyertalk helps make it a little more real. That, and having the CEO and other executives sign one of the Continental promotional signs makes for fun entertainment. I’ll have to pick up a few more during this afternoon/evenings’ events.

I’ll be in Houston this weekend attending the CO Frequent Flyer DO. I’m looking forward to meeting a number of other CO FFs, the CEO, and other frequent flyer luminaries.

Kuala Lumpur is an odiferous place. Walking around the city, smells both delicious and repugnant assault your senses

KL clearly has any product you might want at any price you can afford. Heading to centers such as the Suria KLCC shopping mall, you can buy from Gucci and Coach, Nike and Sony. All the high end products you could ask for, waiting to be scooped up. Too pricey? Head down to Chinatown, pick up the cheap knockoffs at the street markets. The latest handbags and wallets, all on sale. Special price, just for you. Let’s make a deal.

The most amusing aspect of the knockoff business was with the entertainment side. Periodically a police officer would wander through the area, and the guys running the show would scramble to move their tables out of the street. Once “law enforcement” moved on, tables and chairs would be moved back out to service the willing customers. When a deal was struck, the front men would call out to the couriers to drop off the product, or make a run to a nearby location to pick up the merchandise.

The catch? To the movie industry, it’s a hands-down debacle. The rise of digital has made perfect copies an easy objective for pirates, and it some cases even the latest theatrical releases are available. This week’s big ticket item: Constantine, which the groups were pushing heavily.

Suria KLCC is like any high-end mall you might find back in the States, seven stories of commercial goodness that makes the Short Hills Mall look like a place for slackers. Dozens of restaurants, at least two or three food courts, immaculately kept. You’d almost forget you weren’t at home.

Except that you look around and see clearly you’re a minority here. Asian and Malay men and women mix around, going about their business. Some women wear headscarves, one or two even wear the full covering. Traditional dress can be found almost everywhere. Most, however, go about in modern street clothing. Those few of European descent stand out by comparison.

The evening was spent watching the Phillipene lounge singers. Their lively antics and their over-the-top performance amused me to no end. The were on the way to ending their run in KL, heading back to the Phillipenes in March, returning to KL in April, then spending five months in Shanghai before returning again to KL.

It’s a long time to be on the road, away from home.

For a reason I don’t fully understand, my hotel provided down comforters to each of the rooms. For those cold in the 80 – 90 degree heat, they could safely curl up in bed sans probleme. Unfortunately, I had a tendancy to wake up at about 4 – 5 a.m., wide awake and sweating. Even tossing off the blankets at that point made no difference.

An early rise and pleasant breakfast under my belt, I headed off to Changi airport to fly up to Kuala Lumpur. First Class on Singapore Airlines was a treat, with attentive service and access to the phenomenal First Class Lounge, where a chef prepares snacks for members and a small buffet spread is laid out. On our short 55 minute flight featured a quick meal and more entertainment and service than some US transcontinental fares. And for less money than the comparable transcontinental fares.

Kuala Lumpur itself was covered in haze.

The car ride in to the city took about an hour, with a pleasant driver playing US songs, to my amusement. Asking after the cloudy skies, he suggested it might be related to wild fires around the city, driven by the nature of the dry season currently underway.

At the hotel, I crashed hard, sleeping for three hours while watching the latest American Idol episodes from the states. The hotel lobby was swinging when I woke up in search of food. A Chinese group was singing a collection of American hits, dancing literaly on top of the bar.

And then, it was 1 a.m. and time to sleep again.

Singapore, like so much of Asia, breathes shopping. Wednesday being my last full day there, I decided to partake in the ritual myself.

A casual walk down to Espalande started off the spending spree, where I pciked up a few items, key of which was a few butterfly magnets. Oddly enough, I’d been looking for these the world over, though I never thought to find them in a small shop in Singapore.

After a realxing full body massage, I headed out in hunt of the HMV on Orchard Road. Three stories in one of the many shopping malls dotting the road, filled to the brim with J-Pop and K-Pop and DVDs and CDs the world over, many on sale, combined with a favorable exchange rate. I splurged, picking up about 10 – 12 discs of movies and music. Whether they’re any good, or I can even play them, remains to be seen.

Wednesday also marked the beginning of the end of the Lunar New Year celebrations in Singapore. To mark their passing, a fireworks display was set off down by Marina Promenade. The fireworks themselves were spectacular enough, but the flaming fields across the way where they launched them from was just as equally disconcerting.

The ambiance around the celebrations added to the evening, as revelers were out in force shopping and entertaining themselves up and down the promenade. The bright lights and street fair atmosphere made for a pleasant ending to my Singapore stay.

The flight departed Newark late, an equipment swap and flight crew issue pushing our departure back by a few minutes. By the time we reached Detroit, the snow had already covered everything.

The next thirteen hours were spent in mental hibernation, a state where your mind is unwilling to confront the events occurring to the body. The cramped space, low lighting, and humming background noise all combine to create, as the woman across the aisle from me said, a vision of what hell is like.

To my disappointment, the flight to Tokyo arrived with such a small lead time I had no opportunity to enjoy Narita International Airport. My own guilty pleasure, sitting in the airport listening to the announcements in Japanese, would have to wait. All was redeemed with a seat change from row 10 to row 5, moving me up from coach to business class. I had often heard of the “elusive” operational upgrade, where so many have boasted they receive these on about 25%+ of their international flights. Yet this was my first experience, and I was overjoyed at receiving it.

Singapore, the beautiful garden city it is, continues to delight. Heading to the MRT station, I was overwhelmed once more by the raw energies of Asia. Shopping here is like a religion, and one cannot find an MRT station without being overwhelmed with stores hawking clothing and electornics. I spent the day wandering about the grounds of the Kong Meng San Phor Kark See Monastery before heading to the botanical gardens to see the orchids. A late return to the hotel combined with dinner, before I found myself here downloading a few episodes of Strangerhood, a discovery from one of the Wired magazine articles I read on the plane, as I stare out my window over the Central Business District (CBD).

Tomorrow, I head out in search of relaxation, fireworks, and more shopping.

The indecision over the next trip continues. On the one hand, there’s Chinese New Year in Singapore, with a lot of celebrations and events. On the other hand, there’s really, really cute elephants. Singapore I’ve been to, it’s a developed city that’s easy to get around. Two or three days in KL would polish off the trip. A week in Thailand, somewhere I’ve not been, with less developed transportation and a really hectic city in Bangkok, makes the choice more difficult. Thailand would be a challenge, while Singapore I’d feel like I’d be wussing out…

I’m so torn…

I sometimes give the impression that my traveling is cavalier, something I do without proper respect for any sort of process or serious thought. And this is intentional, for my hope is that by making it look less daunting more people would be inclined to go somewhere. There is, however, a very thorough process I follow when planning any trip, and I’m going to capture it in the blog over the next two months as I prepare for a trip to Southeast Asia.

1. Timeframe – The very first thing I do, even before I have a destination picked or a budget for the trip, is look at the calendar. What holidays at the office are coming up? How long has it been since the last trip as well as any major expenses and what large expenses are on the horizon? Putting those two together makes it easier upfront to accomplish the rest of the steps.

2. Budget – I take a few moments to look over the finances and see whether I can even afford to go. If all looks good, I set aside a rough estimate of how much the trip will cost and move on to step 3.

3. Regional Selection – Now it’s time to scour the globe. I’ll be going away in February, so what destinations look attractive on my to-do list? For this trip, I want a place that’s warm, but not too wet. That rules out Europe this time of year as well as the northern regions of Asia. South of the Equator it’s now well in to summer. Either are options.

4. Destination Selection – With a rough sense of how much to spend and a set of regions to investigate, it’s time to move in to a more balanced cost/weather investigation. At this juncture I delve in to some details. What is the average temperatures and forecastss for places on weather.com. Beijing, Taipei, and Hong Kong are all colder than I’d like. Bangkok is nice, as is Singapore and Kuala Lumpur. All three are destinations I’d be interested in. Checking the guidebooks, it’s a good time of year to visit weather-wise. There are also some deals to be had on hotel rooms and airfare. They stay on the list. South America looks promising, but the guidebooks say it is more expensive this time of year. Better to wait until later in the year.

5. Risk Evaluation – With a narrow set of destinations in mind, I begin evaluating the risks. Are the people friendly? Is the location signed in English? What are the mass transit options? What about food? What kind of health risks exist? What about safety, especially as a solo traveler?

6. Entertainment/Cultural Value – Coinciding with the risk evaluation, I investgate what I hope to do. I don’t compile a specific itinerary or list of targets, but instead use this to address a few quesitons about whether I’ll be there too long and how far afield I’d need to travel from the city.

7. Bookings – After looking at the risks and the places I’d like to see, I investigate the specific costs with the intent to book. If I see some fair deals, they’re booked quickly. Otherwise, I wait it out to see if the price improves. If I have to move around during the trip, I make those arrangements where possible in advance.

8. Travel!

Right now, I’m in the middle of steps five and six, as I decide between Thailand and a split Singapore/Kuala Lumpur trip.

Travel between Singapore and KL is relatively easy, and travel to Singapore is cheaper. Singapore I know and know it is a very safe city, while I have heard good things about KL. KL is also very inexpensive with some fantastic bargains to be had.

Thailand, on the other hand, is a popular destination. The hotel prices are between Singapore and KL, so on the net it’s a draw. The food options in Bangkok aren’t as clear to me, while the big overhanging question is how much traveling outside of Bangkok should I do to have the best experience possible. And how difficult/costly is it to do this?

As 2004 winds down, I’ve been receiving the question “Where are you traveling next year?” with increased frequency. As such, I’ll give a brief rundown of my travel plans for the upcoming year.

February – Bangkok
April – San Francisco
May – Rome
Late Summer/Fall – San Francisco
Late Summer/Fall – Santiago (Chile)

Before this evening’s dinner, I hadn’t eaten in two days. The thought of food left my stomach turning, while the drums banging in my temples refused to cease. Sleep came only in spurts, an hour or two here, followed by extended periods of wakefulness. For more than two days, the stress of the trip wore me out.

Only some venting to some friends back home and a solid afternoon nap led me to recover. Unfortunately I had really hoped to attend a few sights I’d missed the last time around but will miss again.

With the lessons learned from this trip, I’ve added the following new rules to my “List of Rules to Live By”: (Begin legalese) I will not travel with anyone who a) I have not known for at least five years, or have been dating for between six months and one year; and, b) if the destination is international, they must have traveled outside the U.S. prior to the commencement of the trip; unless c) the trip is a vendor-provided tour. (End legalese) Usually I follow these rules without having to enunciate them so clearly, but this exception proved to me why they should be the rule.

It would have been nice to have established some solid communication over the preceding two days. But I could never relax enough to do so, nor could I get a solid read on her. It was a shame, really.