International Flights

I love most things about travel except the act of traveling.

The experience gets a lot nicer when I can relax in the airline lounges or when I get upgraded to the front of the plane while people in coach class walk past me and wonder if I'm someone important.  But, aside from that, there isn't much joy in being stuffed into a tiny seat and served microwave dinners. 

I usually try to book non-US carriers because I consider them to be a step up from any domestic airlines.  I'll admit that there isn't a major difference in terms of economy-class comfort, but the entertainment and food options are undeniably better.  I also keep dreaming that someday, I will be important enough to fly like this guy: 

Etihad first class cabin

For my trip to Chennai, I decided to go with British Airways.  At least I would be assured of some sexy accents and a personal entertainment system.  

I rarely watch movies when I'm at home because I can't get myself to sit still for two hours, so I enjoy having the chance to catch up on some flicks while I fly.  As someone who never sleeps on a plane, I can usually watch multiple movies and tv shows on a transatlantic flight.   My favorite film on my first flight to London was Side Effects, which had a fun little twist in the middle.  My least favorite was The Bling Ring, which was just plain stupid.  

My connection in London gave me a nice workout after I lost track of time in the lounge and looked up to see my flight marked: GATE CLOSING.  I literally ran through the terminal like a fool.  When I got to the gate, my heart was pounding and there were at least a few minutes before the gate actually closed.  Geez, way to give me a heart attack, BA!

I arrived in Chennai at 3:30 the next morning and stood in the immigration line for almost an hour.  When I approached the desk, the agent looked at my entire form and asked: "What is the phone number of your hotel?" I told him I have no idea.  His response: "Didn't you ask your friend?" 

I gave him a puzzled look: "Which friend?? I'm traveling alone.  And, even if I did have a friend on the flight, how would he know the phone number for my hotel?"  At that moment, I looked past the desk to find a giant sign advertising my hotel.  It was almost comically ironic.  I asked for my form back, walked over to the sign, and copied down the phone number so he can call me, maybe. 

Next stop was baggage claim and I waited for what seemed like another hour for my suitcase to arrive.  It was one of the last ones and I'd be lying if I said I wasn't nervous that it had gotten lost.  

While I waited, I noticed this gem of a sign:

Make sure your external boundaries are accurate before entering India!

Of all the things one could sneak into India, are maps with incorrect external boundaries really one of only two prohibited items???  By the way, I'm sure everyone has already violated the first thing on the list.  

I picked up my bag and wheeled it past the border control agent - no questions asked.  With another 20-hour journey in the books, my next task would be adjusting to the 9.5-hour time change. 

New England Vacation

...and just like that, a week of vacation has come and gone.  

It started with a family gathering - always a good opportunity to see everyone at once.  My youngest cousin on my mom's side is about to start college.  I'm proud of her for knowing what she loves to do and accepting a place at her dream school in New York.  As my cousins prepare for another year of college, I am reminded that I finished undergrad a decade ago...when did I get so old?

The next few days gave me some much-needed time to recharge.  No big plans.  Only random lunches with friends, running around the lake by my parents' house (multiple times), swimming in their pool, and sleeping in the middle of the afternoon just because I can. 

I made a conscious decision to avoid watching "So You Think You Can Dance", just so I wouldn't get out of sequence on Hulu.  Am I pathetic or what? 

Over the weekend, my family drove up to New Hampshire to do some zip-lining at Gunstock Resort.  They have the longest zip line in the Continental US - very fun!  

Here I am, all "geared" up

It has been a while since I visited the White Mountains outside of ski season and the views were really nice.  Weather couldn't have been better (the entire week was basically perfect). 

Views from the top of Gunstock Mountain

Flying through the air at 50 miles per hour is actually a lot less strenuous than any of us expected.  Honestly, I would recommend it to anyone - young and old.  You don't have to be in good shape at all...you just have to weigh less than 260 pounds (strict limit - they even have a scale at the registration area!) 

I was amazed by all the summertime activities at the resort.  I could have easily spent a few more days hiking, canoeing, and mountain biking.  

Check out these views from the zip line

We then ventured to my brother's summer lake house to spend some time on his boat.  I had never been to Lake Ossipee before but it is really a fun environment.  Whenever people pass each other on a boat, they wave as if they are old friends.  My brother said that waving is mandatory so his boat gets a good reputation!

Views from the boat

I have to say - my brother is quite the baller.  He really knows how to live the good life.  Maybe someday I will exchange my suitcase for a boat of my own.  Until then, I will just live vicariously through him while I continue exploring the world. 

Living the good life at Lake Ossipee

As the sun continued to set, I could see the campfires emitting a smokey haze across the horizon.  The relaxed environment really made me feel like I was on vacation.  

We went to dinner at this really great place called The Woodshed, which I would totally recommend to anyone who happens to find themselves in central New Hampshire.  The atmosphere of the restaurant was so unique and very country-looking.  Plus, I had bacon on 2 out of 3 items on my plate - how can that not be good??

The remainder of my break involved more relaxation, seeing friends, and generally having zero stress - except for the last few days, when I was alone in my parents' house.  Maybe I have seen too many horror movies, but I was genuinely scared at night.  Every noise made me nervous that someone was in the house.  I even looked inside every room before I went to sleep to make sure no one was hiding anywhere!  I enjoy many aspects of suburban living, but home security is definitely not one of them. 

People may think I'm crazy, but I actually feel safer in my hotels than I did in this friendly neighborhood.  I sometimes complain about being watched constantly by the hotel staff but at least I know they are looking out for me. After so many years of living in cities and in high-rise buildings with 24-hour security, the isolation was an unusual experience!

The past ten days have been the perfect New England vacation.  I enjoyed the comforts of home, caught up with friends/family, appreciated the freedom to do whatever I wanted, and ended up feeling totally refreshed for another four months of travel. 

The joys of returning home

Sometimes, I think the best part of travel is the excitement of returning home.  

While I waited at baggage claim in Boston, I started thinking about things I was looking forward to:

1) Eating food that is not cooked in a pool of oil. 

2) Riding in the front seat of a car 

3) Being able to drive myself around...in an automatic car...without a map. 

4) Understanding everything that people say (even if the words are said in a Boston accent...)

5) Running outside (not on a treadmill).

6) Eating breakfast without 6 people asking if I want any coffee.  (No, I don't want coffee...I never want coffee...)

7) Seeing people who have known me for more than 2 weeks.

8) FAT FREE milk...and yogurt...and salad dressing. 

9) Bravo TV

10) Swimming in a private pool, without any old men wearing speedos (gross).  

11) Not having to mentally convert another currency to US Dollars whenever I want to buy something. 

12) Cooking for myself...with 100% certainty that my food won't contain any gross hidden ingredients like mustard, cream, mayonnaise, ketchup, etc. 

Hello, Boston!  It's great to be back!

Drum Corps Finals in Indianapolis

Qatar Airways agent: "Would you like me to check your bag through to...um...IND? ...where is IND? India?"

hahaha

No, that would be Indianapolis.  It's a small city in the middle of the United States.   

After almost four months of globe-trotting, I am finally returning to the United States...and I couldn't be more excited.  Who cares if no one in the entire country of Qatar has heard of my final destination.  The only thing I cared about was being back to see some old friends and watch some live drum corps for the final show of the season.  

I was still a little buzzed from dinner when I passed through security and I was more-than a little paranoid that I would be arrested for public intoxication.  In reality, I don't think my two drinks over the course of the entire night would be enough to get me into any trouble, but I was also exhausted because my flight wasn't even scheduled to depart until 2:30AM.  

These overnight flights are killer because they mess up my sleep pattern even more, but I didn't have many options if I wanted any chance of arriving in Indianapolis for Saturday's show.  

The first flight to Rome was uneventful and, of course, I didn't sleep at all.  Movies on a tiny screen are just too enticing.  

I then connected on an American Airlines flight to JFK, which was delayed for unknown reasons.  For the first time in a while, I was hearing familiar accents all around me and it was glorious.  

There were several factors that made my flight annoying.  Generally speaking, American Airlines is completely sub-par to all other international carriers.  The flight attendants are all rude and ugly, no personal entertainment systems, and food that is completely inedible.  When I declined both meals they served, the flight attendant actually asked: "Are you on a diet, honey?"  I responded honestly that I am actually quite hungry, but I simply can not eat the food they are serving.   Frozen pizza on a flight from Italy??  Seriously?? Shame on you, American Airlines. 

The woman next to me was really annoying and she took up part of my seat, which just added to my aggravation.  Her only redeeming quality was when she spit out the coffee and exclaimed: "What am I drinking?? This cannot be coffee!!"  Oh, America...

By the time we arrived in New York, our flight was delayed just long enough for me to barely miss my connection.  My annoying seat partner also missed her connection and she was uber stressed about it throughout the entire flight.  The silver lining is that American re-booked me on a Delta flight later that evening. 

In retrospect, I actually needed the extra layover time so that I could get some urgent work accomplished.  I don't recommend working after being awake for more than 30 hours, but I didn't have much of an option.  I frantically secured some flights and visas for the next round of business travel.  The flights were not much of a problem, but the requirements of the Indian visa application were stressing me out. 

Finally, after another flight delay (I hate New York airports), I boarded my flight to Indianapolis.  As soon as the plane was about to take off, I started feeling faint and then I realized that I had forgotten to eat in the airport.  Once we were in the air, I felt like I was about to vomit and I just anxiously awaited the flight attendant to bring something to ease the hunger pains.  Unfortunately, the remainder of the flight was just as bad.  My apologies to the people in the last row, adjacent to the toilet.  I could not arrive in Indianapolis fast enough. 

I felt like death by the time I arrived at my hotel - probably a combination of stress, lack of food, and lack of sleep.  By this point, it was almost midnight, so I decided to just inhale a chocolate bar and get to sleep. 

Saturday morning, I felt marginally better and started my day with a breakfast sandwich from Subway that tasted like heaven.  I then rushed to prepare the remaining documents for my visa application and sent everything to New York for processing.  

By 10am, it was FINALLY time to start my vacation.  

A couple friends met me at the lobby of the hotel and we caught up with some stories and a lot of laughter.  Apparently, people were talking about me at the bars the night before and popular opinion is that I am in the CIA!  

We then decided to walk over to Lucas Oil Stadium so I could get tickets for DCI Championships.  No good seats were available.  Bad for me, good for drum corps.  Still, I was excited just to be there.  Even though I have never lived in Indianapolis, I felt like I was at home.  

I was so excited to see Silver Jewel again!

The afternoon consisted of lunch at Rock Bottom (where we became BFF's with the waiter), souvenir shopping at the DCI festival marketplace, and a little corsage-making at a nearby hotel for all the Boston Crusaders age-outs.  Just being around drum corps people was making me happy.  

We're such crafty florists!

The show was SO GOOD and I was totally psyched to be able to see some live drum corps for the first time all summer, even though I was falling asleep by the end.  

Here's my brief recap on the 2013 Top-12:
- Blue Stars and Spirit - Didn't see them because I was too busy watching Crusaders brass warm-ups with Kristen.  I'm pretty sure I didn't miss anything too exciting. 
- Blue Knights - Good show for their standards, but a little too "Bands of America" for me.  What's with the giant ball they kept pushing around the field?  
- Madison Scouts - My favorite Madison show since 2003.  Awesome emotion and accessible music.  Bravo. 
- Boston Crusaders - As an alumnus, I always support what they're doing.  Early in the season, I thought the show felt disjointed.  By finals, it was my favorite show on the field.  Bravo, Boston!

I will rise!  (In my opinion, the best moment on the field in 2013)

- Cavaliers - Big step up from last year but still missing the magic from their championship years in the early 2000's.  I love the secret society theme for the all-male corps.  
- Phantom Regiment - Also, as an alumnus, I am always a huge supporter of their sophisticated style.  No one has the mystique of Regiment and everything was performed well, but I just feel like the show needed more "wow" moments. 
- Bluecoats - Good show from them and nice twist on a patriotic theme.  
- Santa Clara Vanguard - Best SCV show since Scheherazade.  Brass arrangements were stellar (nice job JD Shaw), and every section was strong.  If it only had a little more demand, they would be competing for the championship. 
- Cadets - The corps is so precise but their props are a mess.  Get it together, Cadets!  Those boxes cost you a shot at winning. 
- Blue Devils - Snore.  I can never get into BD.  This year was no exception.  They have some innovative ideas but their show felt like it lasted for an hour. 
- Carolina Crown - New. Fresh. Interesting.  Brass and guard were particularly amazing.  Well-deserved win and I'm so excited I was there to witness the first new DCI champion since 1996!

All the corps lined up for scores

Once the scores were announced, I literally could not keep my eyes open any longer.  I really wanted to hang out with my friends after the show until 4am like last year, but I needed to catch some z's.  

The next morning, I was forced to set an alarm for myself because I somehow thought it would be fun to run 2 races...on the morning after finals...one day after flying for 28 hours from Qatar.  

With less than 12 hours of sleep in 3 nights and still feeling a little queasy from my freak illness, I braced myself for the worst.  

The first leg of the race was a 10k.  I struggled a lot, but I still managed to finish in 9th place overall.  Then, there was an hour-long break.  Then, a 5k.  My body was not amused.  I finished with my slowest 5k time ever, but still somehow managed to place 10th overall.  With a combined time from both races, I earned another medal for finishing 2nd in my age group! 

After the awards ceremony, I rushed back to my hotel. Quick packing. Lunch. Back to the airport. My seat partner on this flight was a member of Carolina Crown percussion.  Sweet!  We became friends and talked about drum corps throughout the entire flight.

I landed in Boston, completely satisfied with my decision to take the detour to Indianapolis.  It was far too short of a trip, but I maxed it out and was so happy to be there for finals.  It also felt good to race again, even though my times were not so hot.  My life sometimes feels like a whirlwind, but I like to live without regrets. 

Doha, Qatar

If Qatar were a person, it would be the spoiled rich kid with a huge family inheritance.  My two weeks in Doha were an interesting experience but I have to admit that I wouldn't rush back there - mainly because the city just felt like a hollow shell without any real history.  

The oil reserves have brought a ton of money to the country and the infrastructure growth is actually pretty remarkable.  It reminded me a little of all the construction happening in Dubai, with one notable difference: none of the development appears to be catered to tourists.  In short, there's nothing to do in Doha, other than shop at malls and go on desert safaris.  

On my way to the hotel, the driver was telling me a little about the city and how he felt about living there.  I was impressed to hear that Doha is building a subway system - especially considering that gas is cheaper than water, so fuel conservation is really not a concern.  The roads are actually way too small to handle all the traffic, so this subway is probably a smart idea for the city.  Plus, a majority of the residents are imported service workers who don't actually have sufficient funds to purchase cars.  

Sitting in traffic gave me the time to enjoy all the sights around me.  I was particularly amused by the street barricades that blocked the subway construction along the corniche.  Apparently Doha's tag line is: "Qatar deserves the very best"...Typical rich kid / entitlement motto!

The staff at the hotel (and at almost every other service establishment across the city) is extremely diverse.  I think I only encountered two Qataris out of over 500 on the payroll - mainly because the locals consider service jobs to be beneath them.  As a result, the government issues a ton of work permits.  Only in the middle-east have I seen HR people traveling on recruiting trips across Asia and, to some extent, other parts of the world.  Overall, it is not difficult to get a work permit in Qatar, but each employer is only allocated a set number from each region, so they have to be aware of people's origins before making hiring decisions. 

I arrived at the hotel and was totally blown away.  It felt like I was in a palace and everything was top quality.  This whole five-star living never seems to get old!

The view from my hotel room was pretty sweet...

Unsurprisingly, Qatar's stance on alcohol is among the most conservative I have ever encountered. Locals (Muslims) are forbidden to drink and anyone coming into the country is required to leave alcohol at the airport.  (They will store the liquor at the airport, but I have been told that it never seems to be there when you pick it up at the end of the trip...)  Foreigners are allowed to drink during most times of the year, but the only bars with liquor licenses are located in luxury hotels and all the drinks are unsurprisingly overpriced.  During Ramadan, there's no drinking whatsoever.  

I thought it was interesting to look at my hotel's liquor license because it includes a picture of the General Manager as their sole authorized purchasing representative.  It also limits their total monthly spending, so they need to plan carefully and stockpile during the months where they may otherwise not need their entire allotment.  

The food was really good and my only complaint is the limited selection, since most of the hotel restaurants were closed for Ramadan.  The hotel offers an Iftar buffet to break the fast each night, but I'm not really a buffet guy.  Especially when I haven't been fasting.  The first night, I decided to order room service and I asked the waiter to suggest something "light", yet with protein.  Thirty minutes later, this monster plate arrived:

Alcohol is restricted but meat is plentiful!

My first week in Doha was mostly uneventful.  The hotel is located outside of downtown, so it's not convenient to just walk outside and explore the area.  Even if I did want to go out, the summertime heat is not very inviting.  On Friday night, however, two people that I have been working with invited me to go out for a meal and to the souk for people-watching.  

I found the souk to be pretty interesting.  It was like a very toned-down version of every other market I have visited in other countries.  On one hand, it's good because I didn't feel unsafe or overwhelmed in the least bit.  On the other hand, the atmosphere was also less exciting.  The most intriguing area of the souk was the section with animals - mostly birds - which are apparently popular pets.  

Anyone want to buy a bird...or 500?

As I was walking through the animal area, I caught a glimpse of someone transferring live chickens from one crate to another. He was handling them like rubber chickens and just tossing them on top of one another, which made me think these are intended more for meals than for pets.  

After the animal section, we walked through the obligatory "cheap clothing" section, where I saw lots of knock-off shirts, bags, and shoes.  For a country that prides itself so much on being rich, I would expect only authentic LVMH boutiques at every street corner!  

We decided to stop at one of the cafes for some drinks.  Normally, I would not be a big fan of al fresco dining when the weather is so hot, but these places equip each table with its own portable air conditioning unit!  (Energy efficiency is definitely not a concern in Doha).  

Personal aircon at every table!

My second week of work felt busy, but I was learning some interesting stuff about Qataris (indirectly, of course, since I didn't actually get to meet any locals).  For one, they are apparently very concerned about social status and it is difficult for companies to engage in activities that help the community.  People typically won't accept "charity", because it implies poverty.  Volunteerism, in general, is just not something that most Qataris engage in.  I suppose there isn't much need when the government is flush with money from all the oil reserves.  (How many other counties can boast about having no sales tax and no income tax??)

The last day of my trip was actually the first day of Eid (marking the end of Ramadan) and I was lucky enough to receive an invite to dinner at the villa of the General Manager.  My flight was later that night (2:30am) and of course I didn't bother packing before dinner.  I figured there would be plenty of time to do that after the meal. 

Well, I was wrong. 

The evening was a whole lot more fun than I had anticipated and it even included alcohol - something I hadn't seen in two weeks.  After only two drinks, I was feeling good and it was a lot of fun to hear the stories of people who have worked in operations around the world.  I really love these international hotels because the key leaders usually have a myriad of experience from working all around the world.  When I noticed that it was already after 11, I rushed back to my room like Cinderella to pack all my stuff and depart for the airport.  Let me tell you, packing after two glasses of wine is so much more efficient.  My clothes will probably come out of my suitcase as a complete mess and I may have forgotten some stuff in my room, but at least I got out of there in record time!

Even though I didn't find Doha to be one of the more engaging cities I have visited, the local staff more-than made up for it.  It's always nice when people take an interest in getting to know me outside of work and I always appreciate being invited to social events.  

I arrived at the airport, still buzzed, and excited to be checking in for a flight back to the USA - for the first time in four months!  The only downside is the more-than 24 hours I need to spend in the air before reaching America.