Getting to Wakatobi

From Asia 2010

I didn't realize how remote Wakatobi was until today. (Geography is not my strong suit.) It was two hours in a turbo prob, a stop to refuel (too much luggage from all the divers), and then another two hours. When we landed, we got into minivans and drove through the neighboring island to a ferry that took us to Wakatobi. When we drove through the island, we heard tons of kids eagerly wave "ah-lo" to us. It reminded me of the kids in Vietnam.

We spent the rest of the day setting up gear (mainly the cameras) and relaxing. It's amazing how quickly I decompress out here.

In Transit

The flight from Dallas to Japan was long. So long, I started writing a morbid entry about experiments simulating jet lag on rats that didn't end well for the rats. On the other hand, I was really glad to have P's company. It's nice to be able to share your thoughts as they occur. The cross-pond flights get pretty lonely, and I just sleep/work through them.

I'm still digesting my thoughts of what I've seen in Japan. Aside from the tasty food (even from the convenience store in the hotel), I'm most impressed that everything works - everything in the airport to our inexpensive transit hotel. Nothing was broken. At home, there are usually little things that break or are in need of repair. Perhaps we'll see more broken things when we return to Tokyo on the way back.

Back to the long transit. We're going to the wakatobi Dive Resort, on a remote part of Indonesia. Our journey consists of a flight to Narita (with an overnight), then Bali (with another overnight) and finally a turbo-prop to Sulawesi. I call out the turbo-prop since I hate small planes with a vengeance. I may fly a lot on jet planes, but small planes just make me nervous. I've been dreading the 4 hours on the turbo-prop more than the long haul to Japan.

Speaking of long haul flights, I just had the best experience on one. Garuda Airlines has immigration on the flight from Tokyo to Bali. Instead of waiting in a long line once you arrive to get the passport stamp - immigration officers are on board to review your passport and papers while you're sitting around on the long flight. It's such a distinctive offering that it creates a preference for Garuda Airlines over other carriers to Indonesia. (Also, they gave us ice cream before landing!)

***

Arrived at the hotel in Bali. The rest of the group doesn't sleep on planes, so they crashed. I'm still jetlagged, so I'm wide awake. Went to the gym (which probably didn't help), ran a few miles (I really need to get back into running!), and now I'm trying to figure out what else I can do.

One strange thing that I noticed - the hallways here at the hotel (a swank Holiday Inn) smell just like the hallways of the EQ (Equatorial) in Penang. It's something combined with the ocean air and the 95% humidity - it's a smell you don't get in the Caribbean though.

Thoughts on Kuala Lumpur

From Plain-Jane's Travels

Some quick thoughts before I head out again.

Malaysian culture is a mix of Malay, Chinese and Indian. There are distinct benefits to being ethnically Malay, such as well-paying positions in public services and preferences in college entrance. As defined by their constitution, you must be Muslim to be Malay - but the converse isn't necessarily true. You're marked as Malay on your driver license - the police can raid a bar, see that you're Muslim, and arrest you. You're also Muslim for life - you can't convert! (Very strange coming from the US with its freedom of religion.) To marry a Muslim in Malaysia, you must convert to Islam. Interestingly enough, folks go to Singapore to get married to circumvent this law.

KL is a city obsessed with shopping and eating. Malls lead to other malls to other malls - with tons of food options around. I finally tried geoduck and mantis prawn. Fresh-out-of-the-tank geoduck was gross/fishy as sashimi and alright in a hotpot. The mantis prawn, while also gross looking, was delicious - similar to crab in texture and taste. I even got over my disgust of the "mantis" part and ate the meat in both claws. It would have been a shame to let it go to waste.

The Vietnamese food there was bleah. It's 2 hours away from Vietnam, but it's is way better in Houston!

Montpelier, France

I'm behind again, so my description won't do Montpelier justice. Amazing food, town weather, and people. Pain au chocolat with fresh orange juice every morning after my walk to work, really fresh fish and bright vegetables, and some pretty tasty desserts. (And I'm not a dessert person.) The three-hour dinners made it difficult to work a lot - but it's a difference in lifestyle.

I'm still thinking through the lifestyle difference, but I definitely have a lot more respect for it now.

Have Passport, Will Travel

I've spent a bit of time on the road lately, and I'm glad to be home for some time. Here are some things I learned the last few months that may help you out with international travel

1. Unlocked GSM cell phone. In most places overseas, you can pick up a pre-paid SIM, and the convenience often outweighs the cost. My rule of thumb has been a two week minimum stay if it requires any effort. If you really like your GSM phone, you can unlock it so you don't have a learn a new phone interface. I was able to get my HTC Aria unlocked by the folks at freeyourhtc.com (Quality Product Source). I think you can find cheaper unlock codes on ebay.
2. Capital One credit card (or credit card that doesn't charge international fees). Make sure you pay it off monthly as the rates are horrible.
3. Spare passport photos. This one is a bit less important, but some places require passport photos for the simplest of things - like getting a SIM card in India. Far easier to get them done ahead of time.

Bon Voyage!

(removed HSBC account, which charges 3% on non-Premier accounts.)

Catching up...

It's been a while since I posted to this site, so I guess I should catch everyone up to date.

May, Gulf Coast Road Trip:

From Gulf Coast 2010

Back in May, P and I rented a car and drove out to Panama City Beach, Florida, so I could do the Gulf Coast Triathlon and do some diving. It was a long drive out there, and we made the 12-13 hour drive in one go. We meandered our way back to Austin stopping in Pensacola and New Orleans.

We dove the Oriskany, an aircraft carrier sunk off the coast of Pensacola. The visibility wasn't great that day, so we couldn't see the flight deck. However, I did swim through the flight control room and through the smokestacks. In the New Orleans, we stayed in the French Quarter and just walked around during the day. Food highlights of the trip:

• PCB: J Michael's. Good fresh, local seafood.
• Pensacola: Blue Dot Burger. Best burger I've ever had.
• New Orleans: Couchon Butcher. Best Banh Mi I've ever had. I think the Head Cheese set it apart from other Banh Mi.
• Baton Rouge: Coffee Call. Beignets and beignet fingers. Can't really go wrong here.

June, Round the World:

I'm a product manager for a global transactional tax system. If you make a purchase from the company and see taxes, the system I work on may have calculated the taxes. (I say *may* since we're still working on the global part.) Before this summer, I've been able to do my job with a lot of late night/early morning calls and a yearly trip. With the onset of our India launch, all sorts of issues come up and I'm summoned to Penang, Malaysia last minute. I'm also summoned to London for another workshop, so I decide to make it all in one go.

The Penang meetings go well, we figure what we need to do, and I head off to Hong Kong for the weekend. As a coincidence, Regan's (my college roommate) brother was vacationing in Hong Kong from DC that weekend, so it wasn't difficult to convince Regan (who's an expat in Taiwan) to also fly in. It was good to hang out with him and to eat some really good food. It's a given that food tastes amazing there. I also managed to do a morning run by Victoria Peak - nice to get back to nature and solitude, just minutes away from an urban jungle.

Before the London workshops, I took the train over to Brussels to watch Stage 2 of the Tour de France. (Cancellara was in yellow that morning.) Also stuffed myself on chocolate croissants in Brussels. The London meetings didn't have the same urgency as the Malaysia ones, but they're good for direction going forward. Got to run around Hyde Park a couple of times.

July, India:

Nineteen days in India. The launch happened, and straightaway, there were high priority issues left and right. It was a lot of work and stress. There were some down times, and the people who could, drank. Most of my memories involve working, calls in the middle of the night to work on an issue, and more work.

August, Brazil:

This globalization thing is happening faster than I thought it would, so on the heels of India (gratefully with three weeks at home), I head to Brazil to gather tax requirements. Awesome meetings - great brain dump of the taxes we charge and why. I've come to the conclusion that countries with federated states with taxing authority have the most challenging taxes.

Great country, good food. I got food poisoning on my first night, so I wasn't able to pig out at the churrascaria. It was a bummer to get sick in a hotel room away from home, but when the stomach cramps were bad enough to call a doctor, the hotel got some EMT folks to come and fix me up (with an IV) in no time. I also got to see my first Brazilian football game with the local team, Gremio. The hardcore fans do an "Avalanche" (above) when their team scores a goal.

September, France:

I head off this afternoon to Montpelier to support a big launch and to do some training. I'm scared of the scope of the launch, so we'll see if it's all work or if I get a breather and get to see some of the city/countryside.

Mexico

From Mexico 2010

We spent the first few days of the trip diving in Cozumel and then went over to Playa del Carmen for the cenotes.

I made an unplanned, massive system change at work right before leaving town, so I spent the first few days of the trip supporting the change. The weather and water was also colder than last time, so the diving conditions weren't as pleasant in Cozumel. This lead to few dives in Cozumel, and a lot of time in the hotel room supporting the changes.

Mid-week, work calmed down, and we moved over to Playa del Carmen. We did two dives in the Dos Ojos cenote, and these were my favorite dives of the whole trip. Amazing clarity in the water - in the photos, you couldn't tell we were in the water without the dive gear or bubbles. The rock formations also made for an interesting dive - I see the allure of cave diving, but there were also some claustrophobic moments. We also dove in the halocline (where salt water and fresh water meet) - it made the water seem unusually blurry/fuzzy.