Customs
As promised a few words on the customs department.
The plane got in on time, my luggage had actually arrived as well and I had oodles of time left to catch my connecting flight to Whangarei. Then just before I made my way out, and as my pack had already gone through the x-ray machine and been given a clean bill of health by the operator, I got stopped by some sour looking peasant working for Her Majesties Department of Customs and Excise and directed towards the baggage search area. There were three people rummaging through people their luggage with the know it all look on their face that says if you have been send here then you must be obviously guilty of something hideous.
This was when I made my big mistake. As I had a connection to make I decided that a civilized request for priority treatment couldn't hurt. WRONG it did. I was told they were going as fast as they could and to wait for my turn. Then they proceeded to process people both in front and behind me until I was the last person left and had duly missed my flight. I am sure there is a special part of hell reserved for these fiends.
The search itself took less then five minutes as I travel light and had nothing more innocuous then a couple of pirated CD's which they missed in their hurry to go for a coffee brake.
BASTARDS.
Monday, May 31, 2004
Thursday, May 27, 2004
Monday, May 24, 2004
taxi's
Wherever I go I have to deal with the curse of the taxi driver. To drive a taxi in most jurisdictions seems to require that you don't speak the language of the country, failed your driving test and keep up an endless barrage of suggestions to take your passengers somewhere else then they want to go. The one that took me to Don Muang airport in Bangkok this afternoon was no exception. He was a card carrying member of the tourist taxi Mafia and I am sure his car did double duty as a dodgem. After agreeing on a way to high fee to take me to the airport he immediately advised me that I what I really wanted was a visit to a massage parlor. He proceeded to hand me a full color brochure of a house of ill repute. I had seen this particular leaflet before as most taxi drivers seem to have it on them, it has a center fold picture of a gentleman flanked by two very good looking Thai ladies in a bubble bath. And although obscured by plenty of bubbles it leaves little doubt as to what the ladies are holding on too. The chap on the picture is smiling and so would I be if this bloody taxi driver would keep his eyes on the road. We swerve from lane to lane and at one stage travel on the wrong side of a median barrier.
"Good overtaking" he says, I am wondering if he's on drugs.
"We stop at my friend shop?"
"No we got to the airport"
"You go jiggy, jiggy, massage parlor?" he points at some girls on the sidewalk. They look about twelve.
"No we got to the airport!"
We get almost side swiped by a truck, veer into another lane and the engine cuts out for about the fifth time. Just as the car behind us is ready to slam into us the engine fires up again and we hurtle onto the motorway. After another ten minutes or so of crazy maneuvers and hair raising overtaking we stop in front of terminal two.
"Have a good flight"
"Thanks"
I certainly hope it's less eventful then my taxi ride.
Wherever I go I have to deal with the curse of the taxi driver. To drive a taxi in most jurisdictions seems to require that you don't speak the language of the country, failed your driving test and keep up an endless barrage of suggestions to take your passengers somewhere else then they want to go. The one that took me to Don Muang airport in Bangkok this afternoon was no exception. He was a card carrying member of the tourist taxi Mafia and I am sure his car did double duty as a dodgem. After agreeing on a way to high fee to take me to the airport he immediately advised me that I what I really wanted was a visit to a massage parlor. He proceeded to hand me a full color brochure of a house of ill repute. I had seen this particular leaflet before as most taxi drivers seem to have it on them, it has a center fold picture of a gentleman flanked by two very good looking Thai ladies in a bubble bath. And although obscured by plenty of bubbles it leaves little doubt as to what the ladies are holding on too. The chap on the picture is smiling and so would I be if this bloody taxi driver would keep his eyes on the road. We swerve from lane to lane and at one stage travel on the wrong side of a median barrier.
"Good overtaking" he says, I am wondering if he's on drugs.
"We stop at my friend shop?"
"No we got to the airport"
"You go jiggy, jiggy, massage parlor?" he points at some girls on the sidewalk. They look about twelve.
"No we got to the airport!"
We get almost side swiped by a truck, veer into another lane and the engine cuts out for about the fifth time. Just as the car behind us is ready to slam into us the engine fires up again and we hurtle onto the motorway. After another ten minutes or so of crazy maneuvers and hair raising overtaking we stop in front of terminal two.
"Have a good flight"
"Thanks"
I certainly hope it's less eventful then my taxi ride.
Sunday, May 23, 2004
Flights
I finalized my flights back home and will tomorrow fly with Air Asia to Singapore, stay for a night at the Albert Court Hotel and then take an overnight Emirates flight to Auckland and finally an Air New Zealand plane to Whangarei. So all in all about two and a half days of travel although in actual flight time it's only about fifteen hours.
I guess after that I'll have some sleep.
I finalized my flights back home and will tomorrow fly with Air Asia to Singapore, stay for a night at the Albert Court Hotel and then take an overnight Emirates flight to Auckland and finally an Air New Zealand plane to Whangarei. So all in all about two and a half days of travel although in actual flight time it's only about fifteen hours.
I guess after that I'll have some sleep.
Saturday, May 22, 2004
Change of plan
This has been in the air for a while although I haven't mentioned it in this blog. It looks like there will be a job coming up in Papua New Guinea and although the details haven't been finalized yet I will return home next week to arrange my affairs there and get ready to start work.
So this means that in all likelihood the jungles of Asia are changed for the highlands of PNG and quite frankly that could be rather interesting too.
As usual I'll keep you all posted.
This has been in the air for a while although I haven't mentioned it in this blog. It looks like there will be a job coming up in Papua New Guinea and although the details haven't been finalized yet I will return home next week to arrange my affairs there and get ready to start work.
So this means that in all likelihood the jungles of Asia are changed for the highlands of PNG and quite frankly that could be rather interesting too.
As usual I'll keep you all posted.
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