Just Some Thoughts

After a year of no travel, I’m out of the country again, this time in Bogota, Colombia. Just arrived today, so I don’t have much to say except the hotel is nice.  Perhaps tomorrow there’ll be more!

Not much going on these days worth writing about. Hexagon is over, I’m getting frustrated with the election coverage, etc.

A couple weeks ago I did see an item on CNN about a bombing in Islamabad at an Italian restaurant. Turns out this is one of the places we frequented when I was in Pakistan in November.

This is too funny!!

http://www.vimeo.com/608808

I was disheartened earlier this morning to hear about another carbombing in Pakistan, outside of Islamabad.  Shortly after arriving in the office I also learned that Benazir Bhuto, who was leading the rally where the bombing occured, was assassinated at the same time as the blast.

She wasn’t a saint (no one in politics is) but now there is no effective opposition in Pakistan for the upcoming elections. Nawaz Sharif is not eligible to run, Bhuto is dead, and the cricket player (I’ve forgotten his name) has said he is not running “in protest.”

My experience in Pakistan last month was very positive.  Good people, by which I mean the Pakistanis, not Bhuto in particular, who are trying their best deserve better than to have things like this happen in their midst.

Just after I leave Pakistan, the government goes bonkers.

Just after I leave Bangladesh, a typhoon hits.

Arlington, brace yourself for my trip over Thanksgiving.

I scribbled these notes in London.

I’m as far as London.  Landed at Heathrow 20 minutes ago, and I’m through immigration, customs, etc and am waiting on the platform at the tube station.  My bag is checked all the way through to DC, so there was nothing to collect, etc.  I spend a night in Knightsbridge again, and I’m back on the plane tomorrow at 4:30ish for an arrival around 7:30pm.

Well, it’s tomorrow and I’m in Heathrow with just under an hour to go before boarding for the flight home.  Of course I couldn’t sleep this morning and woke up at about 4:30am local time.  I putzed around in my (small but adequate) room, read, watched some Saturday (early) morning TV and read a bit.  Come round 8:00 I struck out to find breakfast and Buckingham Palace, with my camera loaded with fresh batteries.  I took a couple pictures which I’ll load up shortly.

I passed the rest of the morning at the Natural History Museum, and I have to say that they’ve got some really cool stuff there.  Since I only had a couple hours, I stuck to one wing and breezed through it at that.  The fossils that are on display are fascinating and some of them are incredibly complete. There was a great exhibit about Earth’s powerhouse and it covered plate tectonics, volcanism and earthquakes. Another exhibit was on the changing nature of Earth’s surface with some hands-on exhibits demonstrating erosion from water and wind, wave action, compression forces and the like.  There was lots of stuff to touch and buttons to push to make things happen. It was a perfect place to be a guy.

For lunch I found a French sandwich place (boulengerie or something like that) which was even populated with a genuine Frenchwoman. We got totally tripped up over each other’s accents; it was great!

For this last leg home, I’m up in the front of the plane, having used miles to score an upgrade to business class. A little comfort on the flight will be welcome, since there wasn’t much on either of the legs from Dhaka.  Emirates is a fine airline, but the economy seats were so narrow.  I’m not terribly broad-shouldered, but I was sitting next to another gentleman and there was simply one arm too many for the space. Eating was a challenge.  Just sitting was a challenge.  Oh well, that shouldn’t be the case on this leg.

As I sit here, I’m keeping one eye on the runway. I keep hoping to see one of the new Airbus A-380s come or go.  I know that Singapore air is flying them now, and, other than Singapore, this would be the place to see one in action.

I’m halfway home…

the subject says it all…

Here’s a bunch of random thoughts since I haven’t really been writing much since I arrived here in Dhaka:

I’m done with the major training sessions that were to be delivered on this TDY, and it’s down to administrative stuff to clean up before departing for home.

Dhaka is a big city, and like a lot of southeast Asian cities (I’m told) it is crowded, bustling, and according to those who love it, alive! It reminds me a lot of Manhattan, but with lower buildings. The press of the people is a lot like what I’ve experienced in mid-Town. In other words, it’s fine for a couple days, but after that I’m ready for a break.

I am the tallest person in the country at the moment. At least it feels like it. Talk about sticking out like a sore thumb - there are more than a few people here whose shoulders are at my waist.

Of course I’m glad to be out of Pakistan. I understand that a bunch of people have been calling to check in and make sure I’m okay. Thanks to you all. Do keep the other folks over there in mind though. I’m fine, but a lot of them are not. Like everywhere else in the world, the average person just wants to live his or her life, and the politics of power once again is getting in the way.

My flight from Islamabad to Abu Dhabi was full (yes, this is almost a week ago by now), but it was mainly filled with migrant workers - laborers. Most of them were illiterate to the extent that they couldn’t find their seat by reading the boarding card. “2A” was beyond them. One guy lit up a cigarette in cabin, prompting every flight attendant in the plane to converge on him. Once we were in the air it occurred to me that if there was any kind of emergency on the plane there would be chaos; there would be no way these folks could understand directions from the cabin crew.

I’ve taken a liking to southeast Asian food. Even turkey bacon isn’t so bad. Both Pakistan and Bangladesh are Muslim countries, so bacon bacon is out.

Bangladesh used to be part of Pakistan until the early ’70s. Both split from India in ‘47 in the Muslim/Hindu divide.

Nescafe is not coffee.

That’s all for now!