Boston

Didn't go directly back to Southville. I made a long layover for myself in Boston to visit my buddy Nick. A 3-day layover. Not only did I get to see Nick, and meet his family and friends, but I finally found a nice warm overcoat, and checked out a couple of schools I'm thinking of applying to for grad school. Below are Nick and his dog Rascal...


Nick loves sleeping on the couch. I kicked that little bastard out of his own bed. I'm awesome...



As the dog chased the ball, we drank beer and watched Ultimate Fighting. After, an early Halloween party.

Berlin

Most of the group took an early afternoon flight out of Munich to Berlin. We took the light rail direct to the airport from the foot of our hotel. I love public transportation in Europe. The flight was short and we were checked into our hotel (two blocks from Checkpoint Charlie) by about 3:30pm.

Funny thing in the Berlin airport (see video in previous entry). The baggage claim is immediately inside once you disembark the plane. There was a rubber duckie on the belt that kept going round and round. Everyone assumed it fell out of a stroller that was checked as baggage, but no. The parents grabbed the stroller, but left the duckie. Various passengers kept playing with it as it passed, putting it in different positions. The duckie managed to never get clobbered by a new piece of luggage as it passed the offload mouth. Just as we were leaving, an airport employee plucked it off and asked who it belonged to. No one claimed it. So, rather than let it be orphaned, I decided to take it in. I realized that I do not have a memento from this trip yet. Now I do. I figure it must be some kind of good luck…




A went to late lunch/early dinner with a few other reps, then wandered the downtown area gazing at monuments and architecture, returning to the hotel around 7pm. Damara had taken a different flight and arrived around 8pm. She was hungry so I accompanied her to another dinner – Italian again. Great thin-crust pizza.

The next day I tried to do some clothes shopping again - I really need a heavy coat for my next trip. This time I used Damara as my personal shopper. Still no luck. Too small or too expensive, but now I have a good idea of what I want, so I'll be able to look while I'm in Boston.

We did the educational fair all afternoon. After, the party at the hotel. Open bar. Finally, I indulged myself. Still I resisted being talked into going out to the clubs, as I had to wake up at 6am to fly back to the USA. Sure, I coulda stayed up all night, but I just didn't have it in me.



Tegel the Ducks says, "Does this really indicate that this room is non-smoking?"

Lucky Duck

Germany

Why is it that one forgets how good it feels to run? I ran a little over 5 miles this afternoon in Munich, mainly through the English Gardens, and it felt GREAT. Totally shook the travel cobwebs from my head..



Now I'm ready to sit back down at the computer and work on expense reports. Yay! But first, I'm going to shower and see if I can find the flagship Aigner store to look at really cool clothes that I probably can't afford.

I HATE FLAIR!
I made the mistake of going to Hard Rock Cafe for dinner. Why? Because none of my fellow reps that I am friends with are in town yet, and it is less depressing to eat alone at a bartop than a table. Plus, at a bar there is always a chance you might meet someone, as I did at dinner at a Hard Rock in Barcelona once before. At a table it is impossible. Anyway - the bartender who served me was horrible. None of them were great, but he in particular was painful to watch. He kept trying out his pitiful "flair." I hate this s#!t. MAKE DRINKS, DAMMIT. If I want to see juggling I will go to a vaudville show. He wasn´t even good at it. Ugh...

My friend Damara finally arrived and we went out for a drink and to catch up. We travelled together in Africa and met up for drinks last when we were both in Dubai at the same time. Another rep came along with us, so we couldn´t really talk like we wanted to, but it was fun anyway. The fair the next day was productive. We went for Italian afterwards with a third rep named Yance.

Oh yeah - I spent two futile days looking for a reasonable place to get all my laundry done, which at this point is most of my stuff. Not to be found. Even outside the hotel they will only do it by piece, rather than by kilo. One pair of jeans? 5 Euros. Whatever. It might have to wait ´til Boston. I think I have just enough cleans to make it.

No time for touristy stuff. I did take a couple of pics while walking the old city, which I will post on the next blog.

Hellas on Rails

The last time that I was in Greece (not counting airport stop-overs) was the summer of 1994. Two weeks of a high school senior trip were spent there – one week seeing sights on the mainland, and one week on Patmos, the home island of our AP World History teacher and chaperone, Mr. V. Of course, some of us behaved like complete hellions and Mr. V swore he would never take another trip. He ended up skipping one year, then taking it again. Big softy.

Those memories in mind, I took the public bus in town from the airport. I arrived at my hotel around midnight and decided that I really needed a drink. The desk guy said that there were some bars near the Hilton, so I walked in that direction. I settled into a small bar one block down from the Hilton and ordered a beer. The bartender gave me Bud in a bottle – it was 6 Euros. Drinking ain’t cheap in these parts. Next I ordered a gin and tonic, and after watching the way she poured it (heavy), I knew I had found my poison for the night. So, I sat there and continued for a couple of hours. The DJ was playing Latin music that I had not heard since living in Central America.

I woke up late, which was fine, as the fair did not begin until 2pm. I saw the sights of Athens back in 1994 and didn’t feel like fighting traffic and pollution to see them again. Besides, the Parthenon is in pieces right now. It was recently discovered that the last time it was put together they did it wrong. Oops. Next war, don’t use it as an arsenal. Accidents with large quantities of gunpowder tend to spread pieces far and wide (ok, it wasn't the Greeks fault - It was the Ottomans and Venetians fighting).



Above is the view that I shared with a few other reps after the fair, at the rooftop bar of the Hilton. That's all we had - the view. Drinks were way past our budget so we skedaddled after drinking some free water. We walked to an outdoor cafe area where prices were more in line with the salary of people in higher education. We actually ended up picking a place that had just opened, and they threw us some free ones as well.

I had to run at about 10:30pm. I had a midnight train to catch, along with a rep I shall call G.Ru, whom I convinced should accompany me to Thessaloniki for some school visits. A little adventure. We bought tickets on the spot. We dragged our luggage on with us. It looked like we might not even get a seat, then we found a couple in a nearby compartment. Then the ticket guy came by. Half the people in our compartment got thrown out. We paid to stay. I might have gotten a couple hours of sleep. Hard to tell. It was all very hazy. At 7am we reached Thessaloniki and took a cab to the Astoria Hotel. We were due at the school at 10am. I got another 1.5 hours of sleep. Not sure how G.Ru did. The kids at the school might have thought we were brain dead. We felt like it. The school counsellor told us that we missed some amazing scenery, having taken the night train. Wonderful. After the visit we crashed again. Apparently the train also passed through Thermopylae. One of the most incredible events of world history occurred here. Read about it here. See the kick-ass trailer for the movie based on the graphic novel "300" by Frank Miller here.



Above is the waterfront of Thessaloniki


Aristotle Square


A restaurant called "Kitchen" where we had dinner.


An old tower viewed from Starbucks, where I did some internet.



The waterfront pedestrian area runs from the vicinity of the port to the tower - about a mile. There are bars, restaurants, and cafes lined up one after another. Often, and establishment serves as all three. Below are some examples.







I definitely need to come back and spend more time in Thessaloniki. G.Ru and I were too tired to enjoy the nightlife after dinner. We just crashed. She had an early flight, I got to enjoy the town 'til about noon before heading to the airport and Munich.

Turkey Two

Above is a mosque that I kept seeing as I went over the bridge from continent to continent (E=right,A=left). My favorite. Small and elegant. This is as close as I got to it. In the far back, on the right, you can see the two big daddies overlapping - Hagia Sophia and the Blue Mosque.

So Muge took a look at the blog and asked me what “infamous” means. I was sorely tempted to quote Three Amigos – “In-famous is when you're MORE than famous.”

So on Sunday Muge helped me out with the university fair. I was very grateful to have a native speaker at my booth. Whenever I decided that someone was too crazy for me to continue talking to, which was fairly often since many were fasting for Ramadam and not at their mental best, I just handed them off to Muge. It was great. She loved it.

Over the next three days I had a personal driver and zipped all over the dual peninsulas doing school visits. A little tiring. Muge tried to help me find some cool new clothes. Everything was either too small, too expensive, or just too European. Oh well. Had some more good meals, including more cooking from Muge’s mom, and I also hit McDonald’s a couple of times. Why do I do this, you may ask? Well, I’ve been on the road a month now. I’m getting a little tired of it. Why is it that a rowdy dog, who has been kept in the house too long, the first thing he does upon being let out is go and roll in something, then come back smiling (yes, they smile, I have seen it many times)? Same reason. Sometimes you just gotta do something bad for you – shake off all that goodness, rebel. Yes, I eat McDonald’s in foreign countries as a form of rebellion and asserting my American-ness.

On my last day I finished up school visits around 3pm, so I had my driver take me to the Hagia Sophia on the way to the airport. I also visited the underground Basilica Cistern, which was surprisingly cool. Feast your eyes…


At one point there is a wishing pool. I threw in two coins on the same wish. I found out yesterday that it did not come true. Do I get a second chance on the other coin? Anyone know wishing rules...?



No one knows why these bases shaped like Medusa heads were placed here, especially is such deliberate positions (upside-down and sideways). Remember, they would have visible only to those with access to the cistern, and even then been underwater. Sounds like a Dan Brown novel to me...
And here is the Hagia Sophia. Fifteen HUNDRED years old...


A geologist could make a career just studying the stone here.




Mmmm – so sublime. Now I was in the mood to confront the airport assholes. First, I actually tried to do it the proper way. I went to the info desk and asked if there was an office for the tourist police at the airport. Nope. Not only that, but the info guy told me that I could leave a complaint with him, but it would do nothing but be for “my own conscience.” Those guys are all mafia, he said. I wouldn’t get any money back. This, of course, just got me ready for the big show. So, I put on my "I'm pissed off and not messing around" face and went down to their office with my receipt.

“I would like a refund.”
“Yes, what is problem?”
“You ripped me off, that’s the problem. I would like my money back.”
“Sir, one moment. Please have seat.”
“S’okay – I’ll stand.”
Manager comes in – I recognize him.
“Yes?”
“My money, give it back. Now.”
All the other employees have found convenient excuses to leave the office and smoke outside, though they keep glancing in.
“You, you agreed to pay this…”
“You told me it was cheaper than a taxi.”
“I never said that. I said maybe…”
“Okay, your other guy said it. You’re operation is still full of shit. Give me back my money.”
“I can not do that – it would be out of my pocket…”
“Wonderful. Where do you think my money came from? Give it to me.”
“I can give you thirty US dollars.”
“Great.”

That's an abbreviated version of how it went. There was actually a lot more of me repeating, "Give me my money" over his excuses, and maybe an f-bomb or two. It all had the right effect. I actually got my money very quickly. I got about half back, which is what I was shooting for, even though I asked for all of it first. Kids, always ask for more than you are willing to take. That way, the guy was able to bargain a little and save some face. After all, I did come in there and kinda bully him in front of all his employees. Perhaps they should be more discerning in who they seek to screw over.

Istanbul ! !

Finally, after three weeks of re-tracing previous travels, I have a new destination. I touched down in Istanbul at about 2:15pm on Friday. I immediately got ripped off on my shuttle ride from the airport to my hotel. I found this out after the fact, of course, and I intend to have words with the assholes when I pass back through the airport on my way out. I'll let you know how that goes.

So anyway, Muge dropped by my hotel after work and we took a cab to her mom's apartment on the Asia side of things. Here is Muge's family at dinner. She is out of the picture, and so is most of her mother. On the left is her younger brother, to his right is mom's boyfriend. Mom is telling a story about the kids she teaches at school. Her brother's facial expressions are great.



After dinner, some good 'ole American TV. Here is Muge speaking on her cellphone in Turkish. I love it. Yes, that is Will & Grace in the background...



I was falling asleep watching TV, so I accepted her mom's offer for me to sleep over. I took brother's bed, since he is living with the dad right now. In the morning Muge and I went for coffee at Starbuck's (yes, the are everywhere), walked around the neighborhood, and found a shop where I could buy a New York Times and some other English-language media. Eventually I took a cab back to my hotel. There I examined a couple of maps and planned to take Istanbul out for a test-walk. Below is the track I followed. Over 6 miles. Oh, yeah.



From the hotel I walked through Taksim Square and down the hill via a busy pedestrian street lined with shops and restaurants. It led me to the Galati Tower, below, and then to Galati Bridge, which crosses the Golden Horn to the classic center of Istanbul, you know, what was Constantinople.



I walked through the wooded grounds of Topkapi Palace, and then paid to walk through the palace itself, with all the other tourists. It was actually quite interesting, and I'm glad that I paid for the little self-tour audio gadget. I spent so much time there looking around that when I exited it was closing time, and Hagia Sophia was also closing, so I'll have to see it another day. The Grand Bazaar however, was open. It was a madhouse. I quickly walked through, caught my breath, and grabbed a cab back to my hotel. No more walking, thank you.



Left, Europe. Right, Asia.



Above is a model of the palace grounds.



Now that's en eff'n sword...



That night Muge came by again and we went to dinner at some place that there is no way I will ever be able to pronounce the name of, but it was good. Rooftop, very trendy and European. At any moment I expected Wesley Snipes to show up and start slaughtering vampires. It had that feel. After dinner we went out and met some of her friends and had a few drinks. It was very loud.

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Bye Bye Bombay

Here is my Michael Mann impersonation...



It is a quarter ‘til 9, local time. I slept the entire flight here from Mumbai to Bahrain. It started at 6am. That means I had to be at the airport at 4am, leaving my hotel in South Mumbai at 3am. Of course, I decided to just not sleep. Another rep helped me with this. We ate pizza at a place on Marine Drive that I always hit when staying in South Mumbai. Just as we arrived outside the pizza place, all of Marine Drive was shut down for the motorcade of Dr. Manmohan Singh, the Prime Minister. He was having dinner at our hotel. We got out of there just in time. After the pizza, we went into the bar next door for a few Bombay & tonics. Had to do it. Next we hailed a cab and went to a shopping and nightlife center known as Phoenix Mills. Some prospective grad students at the fair earlier that day had told me about it. Two of the clubs that we’d been told to go to were closed for private parties. The first we tried to weasel our way into. Didn’t work. The second we just tried to crash. That didn’t work either. Might have been because we were the only ferengi in the joint. The place was popular, but not with foreigners. For our third try we settled on a sports bar, had some more drinks, and played some pool with some rich locals. One gave us quite a ride, back to our hotel in his chauffeured car. I then packed, showered, and was off.

Is this perhaps the last time that I will exit India? Part of me hopes so. I’m tired of runny nose, irritated throat, and loose bowels.

So I sit in the Bahrain airport again. Last time I was here, I believe that I was on my way to a few days off in Goa. This time, I’m headed in the opposite direction, to Istanbul. I’ll have one day there, tomorrow, a Saturday, with nothing scheduled for work. I’ve never been to Istanbul, or Turkey, before. Luckily, one of my infamous exes, the Turk, is there to be my guide.



Here are some views from the rooftop venue where our fair was held…

Sri Lanka

I almost skipped this last stop on the tour. Last year it was no good for me. Very few prospective students visited my table. I’m glad I decided to participate in the end. It was much more productive this time ‘round. I had some time off on the day of my flight out. I went downtown with a couple other reps to try to do some shopping. No good. It was largely shut-down and deserted. There is a big festival somewhere else in the city, and the place is on lock-down – lots of armed military patrolling about. Still, we walked around a bit, then took a stroll along the seaside promenade. Got a couple of interesting videos…

Here is a 360 of where downtown meets the beach...



And where the run-off meets the beach...



Sri Lankans enjoying a nice afternoon...



Sri Lankan-style fast-food at the local mall (okay, I still had Pizza Hut)...



This last one I took at a food break on the way to the airport. Again, I'm disappointed with the quality of the transfer (so much better on my computer!). Make sure to get a look at what the last one leaves behind.



And your moment of zen...

Entertaining Moments in India

That last entry was repetitive, I know, but I wanted to show what a recruiting tour like this feels like at its worst - fair after fair after fair after fair. There have however, been some entertaining moments to help break up the monotony...



First we have the tour of Bollywood, the center of India's film industry, which is the largest in the world. That clip shows a nightclub set where they are preparing to film a bar/dance scene. The girl in the black dress on the right at the end of the clip (I know it's fuzzy) is the female lead. Here are two stills - one of the dance set, and a close-up of two starlets.





Our 15 minutes on-set was the only good part of the "tour." 4/5ths of our time was spent in transit (horrible traffic, that is) betweens the stops. At the same locations as the nightclub set, we saw a variety of other sets not currently being used. Actually, some looked (and smelled) like they had not been used in years. We had lunch at a Chinese chain restaurant that our guide tried to tell us was popular with Bollywood types (yeah, right). Finally we went to a minor post-production facility where they do editing and visual effects. Nothing spectacluar, especially considering the university I work for. Not once did we actually step foot in Film City proper. I got the feeling it was just a hastily arranged sequence meant to fleece us of our money.

OK, cheer up, here is another view of the elephant walking down the busy street in Pune...



And a colorful shot from our bus of a market in Bangalore...