The scent takes me back to India

So when I got all unpacked from my trip, and I do notice a bit of a smell hanging on all my clothes that faintly reminds me of the smell in my hotel room in Chennai. I never did figure out what it was, but I strongly suspected mold or mildew.

I packed the shawls I bought in my suitcase for the journey home. They sat in there with my dirty clothes for the 20+ hour ride home, which had been soaking up all that good stuff in the hotel room all week. So the combination of mildew and old Jeff sweat made for an interesting musk.

I gave one of the shawls I brought back in my suitcase to Vanessa, because I knew she would like one and I wanted to thank her for being so great about watching Jester all this time that I couldn't. She said later she noticed the "odd" smell and is now trying to overpower it with yummy smelling stuff. I wonder which smell will win out in the end.

I should probably air out the rest, but I think it adds a unique character to them that you just couldn't have gotten any other way. Hope you all are having happy olfactory adventures. Ciao.

No more jet lag

I think I'm finally back on schedule. I caught up on my sleep Sunday and Monday and actually woke up at a decent hour today. Vanessa came down yesterday and brought Jester. He seemed really excited to be at the house again and was happy to see me. I love having him back for awhile. I took him on a nice long walk this morning in the park and he seemed to enjoy sniffing around his old territory again. He woke me up a couple of times last night running outside to chase whatevers, but I didn't mind I was just happy knowing he was here. I really missed that little guy.

Its back to work for me now. I wonder if I still have a desk.

April Fool

I swear I must have been born on April 1st instead of the 25th. Its like a cloud of confusion constantly surrounds me and can sometimes effects others in my vicinity. I do some really dumb things in spite of being paid to be a "smart guy". So I was wrong about the whole daylight savings time change over and have done some historical editing, but there was good reason for me to think it was. At SF airport when I finally got my laptop set up again I switched the timezone because it still thought it was in Europe. Well the EU observes spring daylights savings time on March 26th, so my computer had already adjusted. When I changed to Pacific time it stayed an hour ahead, which I think is a bug in the WinXP clock. I kind of freaked out when I noticed what time it said because my watch which I had adjusted on the flight in said I still had plenty of time until boarding, but my laptop thought I should be boarding already. Due to my cloud of confusion the first person I happened to ask about daylight savings time was from Sweden and therefore confirmed that I needed to adjust my watch forward. Despite all that I was still able to get on my plane and get back to Eugene safely. If it had been in the Fall I might have missed my plane by an hour.

So I'm home again and it feels really good. I was tired, but still stayed up to watch one of my "new" DVDs. The quality is noticeably poor on my big TV, but what do I expect for less than $3.00 a pop? Oh well.

I didn't do much of anything today. Actually I slept for a good 12 hours. Felt great, really needed it. Now its time to unpack and do some grocery shopping and all that domestic stuff. I'm planning on taking tomorrow off work as well and ease into work on Tuesday.

I'll keep updates coming when there's something new to share, but the India portion of the blog has come to a close. Thanks for reading. Ciao.

Safe in San Francisco

Almost home. I arrived in San Francisco at 5:10, and thankfully my suitcase managed to get here too. I had to pick it up and go through customs and then recheck it. Thankfully it wasn't too busy here on a Saturday afternoon. I was able to get some sleep on the plan since the Economy Plus seats on UA have enough room so I could stretch out under the seat in front of me. For some reason I had a whammy put on me today and everyone was spilling things on me. The stewardess threw some ice on me while she was making someone else's drink, the guy next to me spilled his leftover rice and chicken on me when they were picking up the trash, and again someone dropped a jacket on my head while they were getting something else out of the overhead compartment. I wonder what Hindu god I angered on my way out of India receive such punishment.

On the way to my connecting flight I remembered it was my last chance to exchange my rupees so I looked for a map that would point me in the right direction before I got too far. I didn't find anything informative so I figured the international terminal would have one and I was headed in the other direction towards domestic flights. I figured I should ask someone before walking all the way to the wrong terminal. The guy I asked told me there was an exchange counter at the domestic gate hub so I thanked him and continued on my way. I got through the last security check-point and reached the hub only to find that the exchange counter was closed and a sign said to go to the other one at the international terminal. I should learn to follow my instincts more. I only had 650 rupees left, about $16.00, so I decided it wasn't worth going through 2 additional security checks and a long walk.

While waiting for my flight I had a vodka-cran and a burrito and then went in search of a power outlet. I finally found one attached a pay phone so I'm camped out by it now. This laptop's greed for power seriously compromises its portability.

Well, its time to go, my flight boards in 10 minutes. Cheers.

Fortifying at O'Neills

Mmmm, I'm sitting here in O'Neill's at Heathrow airport in London pounding down a Full English House breakfast complete with sausage, bacon, toast, mushrooms, baked beans, eggs, and a tomato and washing it all down with a delicious Guinness. I still have about an hour before they even announce which gate my flight to San Francisco will be leaving from, but my battery only has 40 minutes left in it. Fully charged it lasts a whopping one and a half hours max. Not too impressive.

So as you may have guessed I didn't have any troubles getting packed, checked out of the hotel and onto my flight out of Chennai. The lines were long at the airport, but I got there plenty early. We took off around 4:15 in the morning and I was already falling asleep. Unfortunately I woke up for the first meal, I shouldn't have bothered. The fruit tasted rotten, the sausage was like jerky and the "omlette" could have been used as a sponge to mop up the juice I managed to spill when the guy next to me dropped his bag on my head while he was getting into the overhead compartments. I only managed to stomach one bite of each before pushing it all aside. The only consolation was the two free glasses of wine I had with lunch. At least British Airways softens the blow of being packed into steerage by supplying free booze. United Airlines could learn a thing or two from them.

I passed the rest of the time trying to watch the in flight entertainment without sound since the headphone jack on my chair was broken. Luckily the Bollywood film showing had subtitles, but watching them all dance and sing without a soundtrack just managed to inhance an already bizarre experience. The only accompany sound was the incessant crying of babies. I distracted myself with some Kakuro puzzles and writing down the names of European cities I might like to visit on my next trip as I saw them pop up on the map as we passed overhead.

Batteries about to die again, so I better sign off. Cheers and I will see you all soon.

Farewell Chennai, you were good to me

I'm actually sad to be leaving Chennai. Things turned out much better than expected, the work went well, and everyone seemed to enjoy meeting me and talking with me. Keval was great, and did everything possible to make my stay enjoyable. I owe him a huge thanks.

Today we went to Pizza Hut of all places for lunch, although it had an Indian twist to it. I get a kick out of how even the most low brow of fast food restaurants here have wait staff to take your orders and bring your food. Labor here is plentiful and cheap. Every restaurant and bar has more than enough people on staff to keep you taken care of.

I finished up when we got back to the office by leading everyone through fixing a bug from the bug hunt queue. I managed to work through a full example and fix a bug in just under an hour. I was pretty pleased with myself. I hope the stuff I worked through with them will come in handy at some point.

We finished up at 16:30 and had one last cup of tea on the balcony and said my good-byes to everyone and told them to look me up the next time they were in Eugene. They asked me what my favorite part of India was and I had to say it was the crazy streets and all the traffic. I just couldn't get over it, every ride was a harrowing adventure for me.

After work Keval and Hussain took me out shopping. First we hit Ricky Road, full of electronics shops and in a basement we found the DVD shop. We had to wait for a bit while a couple inspectors were assured that they didn't have any DVDs in the shop left, and then the shop keeper busted out the catalogs. I picked out 17 that looked good at 150 rupees a pop. Keval haggled the guy down to 130 apiece which is about $3.25. Not bad. He took my list and sent his runners off to collect copies from his hidden store and they came back a short time later and packaged up my purchases. I paid the man and headed out with my bag of goodies.

From there we went to the massive Spencer's mall. Its like 5 gaint malls in one spread across 4 floors. There were tons of little shops in here, and I was a little overwhelmed. I was on a mission for new shoes and some shawls so we got right down to it. I found some decent shoes but couldn't get them in my size after hitting 5 different shoe stores so I gave up. The first shawl store was trying to overcharge me, but we eventually found a place with a decent starting price that we could haggle down on. Keval once again worked his magic and haggled them down from 450 a piece to 350. It was fun to watch "I was here last week and you charged me 300" "No sir, 300 is impossible, this is a difficult business" "These shawls are low quality and we are buying so many" "I cannot go lower than 400, sir, it is a complicated market" "350 and that is more than they are worth!". After haggling there were no hard feelings and everyone was friends. I think we are missing out in the U.S. on this rich and rewarding tradition. There isn't enough haggling going on. After that we were all getting tired of shopping so we headed out.

We dropped Hussain off so he could meet up with some friends and I said good-bye. Keval took me out for a few drinks at Sparks and we sat and chatted. I had a great time and worked my way through 3 blue lagoons. After that he dropped me off at the hotel around 10:30 and I shook his hand one last time. I confirmed my ride for 1:00 and headed up to the room.

Its time to take a quick shower and pack before my ride gets here in half an hour. I probably won't get a chance to post again until I am in Eugene. Hope everyone is well and I will talk to you all again soon. Ciao.

Last day in India

Good morning all,

I just finished a big breakfast in my room while I catch up on some email and such. This week went by amazingly fast. Although its not over I have to admit that it turned out much better than I feared. Some things were as I expected, but many things were not.

I fly out at 4:00 tomorrow morning and I plan on getting there with plenty of time to spare. I will probably just stay up tonight and catch a ride over at 1:00 or so. I will sleep on the 11 hour flight to London.

Not much else to share today. I looked into Dublin but it was dead. Not surprising seeing how the rules posted outside the club pretty much prohibit all types of fun. I decided to get a bite to eat and a glass of wine at the outside grill by the pool. I had some grilled chicken, naan, and a black bean gravy, with a glass of domestic red. It was very satisfying. Then I came back to the room and listened to some podcasts before calling it an early night. My stomach woke me up around 3 am, but other than that I got plenty of rest.

Keval just called and will pick me up soon. I hope to make today a short one. Ciao.

Sick of my own voice

I just finished up my longest day so far. We fell behind a bit on my syllabus earlier in the week and so I pushed through and caught up today. I think we will try to make tomorrow a short day. We've covered most of everything I felt is important. The system is just too large to do full coverage in 40 hours.

Keval was busy with meetings all day so Bhargavi, Sweta, Hussain and Krishna took me out to lunch. We had a good time chatting and ate an excellent meal, although service was very slow. I wasn't in any hurry to get back to the office, so it worked out.

I took the time to get a shot of everyone on the ThomsonNOW team and post their pictures and names for folks at home. I just now finally learned everyone's names, although my pronunciation still makes people giggle.

I'm looking forward to being done tomorrow. I asked Keval what we should do for my last day and we made plans to go shopping. Apparently I can get some decent shoes and clothes for cheap here. I'm also curious about this place he says I can get very cheap and "authentic" DVDs.

Got to go grab some dinner, and maybe check out Dublin tonight. Ciao.

Razor burn has a new meaning

My face is very sore today from being burned so shaving is a painful experience. I've been using sunblock since Tuesday, but I think its too little too late.

So last night they moved the guest party from Dublin to the G2 Lounge. I checked it out, grabbed a beer and found a seat up on the second floor. Hip hop videos were playing on a projection screen and a large TV was showing the Hulk movie. Not much going on, lots of businessmen gathering in small groups and doing whatever it is they do to make money. I finished my beer and headed back to the room to prepare for the next day of presentations.

My project build got hosed at some point yesterday so I had to check out a new build from CVS, but being remote and over a slow connection it took several hours. I left it running before I went to the lounge and it was still going until late. I didn't manage to accomplish much more useful than getting back to where I was the day before. So I packed it in and hit the sack.

I don't really have anything planned for today or tomorrow. Not feeling too inspired right now. I'm very much looking forward to being done with this week and on my way home again.

Blessed by Lakshmi

I posted some new pics from my visit to Ashta Lakshmi, which I learned means the 8 Lakshmi. It is a temple celebrating 8 different incarnations of Lakshmi, the wife of the god Vishnu. Idols depicting these incarnations are on the different levels of the temple and facing each of the cardinal directions.

I was instructed to remove my shoes before entering the temple grounds, but the guards were not at the front gate to tell me not to take pictures so I was able to get away with taking a few. Entering the temple I was led around the base of a stone flag pole which protruded through a hole in the ceiling and finally to a central shrine with idols depicting both Vishnu and his wife Lakshmi. A holy man was there who helped me perform a ritual involving waving my hand over a candle and crossing my face. Then I held my cupped hands out to receive some scented water which I was to sip and then spread over my head. He then turned and walked up the steep stone stair case to the next tier, and I followed. From the top of the steps I caught a glimpse of the Bay of Bengal over a balcony of the temple and also could now see the top of the stone flag pole, but a metal guardrail prevented me from going that direction, instead it lead me around the corner to where the holy man was waiting at the next shrine. Here I received my forehead dot and an engraved conical metal cap was placed briefly on my head. I continued around the walkway and was greeted by a second holy man tending yet another shrine. He also performed the ritual with a metal hat and then gave me a lotus blossom. I followed the path around back to the front of the temple and was able to walk out onto the balcony and take a few pictures. From there I continued up another steep flight of stairs to the top of the temple. There was one last shrine at the top devoted to the incarnation of Lakshmi that promoted wealth.

Keval and Bhargavi tried their best to explain the different aspects and stories behind the statues and give me a better sense of the functions of the temple. I listened with much enthusiasm but very little understanding.

Work was someone short today since we left early in order to catch the temple when it was open. I led the team through some of my topics and answered questions from 11:00 - 16:00 with a short break in the middle. Since I had eaten a sizeable breakfast I didn't feel the need to take lunch, but I did have a cup of the delicious spiced tea that comes out of that magic little yellow box out on the break porch. I got back to the hotel by 17:30.

Everytime Keval pulls into the Park Sheraton lot to drop me off we have to go through a quick car bomb check. An attendant with an angled mirror mounted on wheels and low to the ground stops us and then checks the underside of the car before letting us pull up to the front doors. Its always done in the same almost ritualistic way although the attendant changes sometimes. Just one of the many services available at the Chennai Park Sheraton Hotel & Towers.

Once I dropped off my stuff in the room I went back downstairs to grab something to eat. Most restaurants are closed after the lunch hour and don't reopen until 19:30 or later for dinner, but Cappucinos is open all hours for guys like me. I gave them a second chance and this time ordered an Indian meal. It was rather good, chicken in tomato gravy, steamed rice, and some baked beans. Not so spicy, so my stomach should be okay tonight.

Going to go check out the scene at Dublin tonight. Hope there will be some people there, it was dead the other night. Later.

3 days down 3 to go

Good morning.

I've been having a little bit of stomach troubles, I guess some of the food hasn't agreed with me. At least my toilet got fixed. I'm sure you are all very glad I shared that bit of information. Otherwise I'm having a good stay.

Keval, Bhargavi and I drove out to the temple yesterday during lunch, but when we got there at 14:00 the temple was closed until 16:00. I guess god was sleeping. So we had to reschedule and will try again today. We stopped at a food court near the beach on the way back called Planet Yumm. Instead of going up to order you just go sit down and each place sends a waiter out to you. Its like ordering food at 8 different restraints at once, a bit confusing as they each try to hand you menus and take your drink orders and then there are several checks at the end of the meal. I had some delicious masala bread and spicy prawns and some sort of bean gravy. A bit spicy but not too much.

Keval and Bhargavi have been trying to school me on the differences between North and South Indian cuisine and culture. For starters they don't speak Hindi down here, so my phrasebook is useless. In Tamilnadu they mostly speak Tamil. I should have done my research. Some of the developers got a laugh when I asked if they had girlfriends. That's not a common thing, and there are still lots of arranged marriages. Most people live with their entire family and their moms and grandmas pack lunch for them. Seems strange from my point of view, but I can definitely see the advantages when it comes to caring for children and the elderly.

Work is flying by, but I am exhausted at the end of the day. I've been doing about 3 hours of presentation in the morning and 3 hours of presentation in the afternoon. People start to fade at the end and I start to get silly, but we are making steady progress through my syllabus. At the current rate though I won't get done until the end of Friday. I will have lots of follow up questions to answer when I get back home.

After work Keval invited me out for a drink at the only Spanish restaurant in town, Zara. We had a couple appetizers and chatted over a cocktail and a beer. Keval's a great guy, and probably the hardest working man in India.

I went to bed early and got up at 6 this morning to catch up on some things. Sounds like the Poland visit round 2 is going to happen. I'm looking at spending 4-6 weeks in Poland starting at the end of April. I'm hoping to take those last couple weeks off and bum around Europe. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. I will have to see what I can afford to do in that amount of time.

I ordered room service this morning, a sort of Indian breakfast sampler. It was good, my favorite part has been the teas and the breads.

Time to wrap this up and get to work. Ciao.

First day at work

Didn't get much sleep the night before, but I managed to be up, get breakfast at the Tower Club, and be ready in time for Keval to pick me up at the hotel. I managed to survive another frightening ride into the office. We got there at 10:00 and I set up in the conference room. I got to meet Bhargavi and the rest of the Photon team that will be working on the ThomsonNOW project as they all filed in and set up around me, eager to hear what I had to say and ready with questions. It was a bit overwhelming at first, having never done such a formal presentation before. I really could have been better prepared, but I just winged it and managed to get through the day. I think I managed to come across fairly knowledgeable and informative, and I only had to bunt on a few questions. We took a break around 13:00 and Keval and Bhargavi took me down the street to their other office building to meet up with Prakash and Mukund for lunch at one of their regular hangouts. This restaurant specialized in Southwest Indian cuisine. We all shared a delicious family style lunch and talked about work and my impressions of India so far. I did my best to eat and tear nan with only my right hand, something I need to work on. I thanked them all for an excellent lunch and we headed back to work.

My nose and cheeks were a little red from being out in the sun the day before. Sunblock was another thing I forgot to pack. I made a mental note to pick some up after work and some spare batteries for my camera.

We picked up the presentation at 14:30 and pressed onward. They could tell I was getting a bit fatigued around 16:30 so we took a short break for tea, spiced with cinnamon and very delicious, and went back in to try and finish my syllabus for the day. I got through my first lesson plan by 18:30 so we packed it up for the day. I'm going to be exhausted by Friday I can tell.

I talked briefly with Keval and Bhargavi about what else I could try to see while here in Chennai. They suggested we take a short excursion to Ashta Lakshmi Temple during lunch the next day. I'm looking forward to it.

Keval took me back to the hotel and I told him I'd be fine for dinner and just grab something there. When I got back to the room I got changed and headed downstairs to browse the shops. I was shown lots of rugs and pillow covers and wooden and stone carved curiosities, but nothing too inspiring. I was tempted by a few of the pillow covers and rugs, but I really couldn't justify it, since they seemed steeply priced, and they looked fairly mass produced. I did stop in a bookstore and picked up a cheap CD of Indian pop, something fun to listen to while writing my blog posts.

I grabbed a bite to eat at the cafe, not too impressed, and then headed to the Westminster bar for a drink. I had a stiff Long Island and watched a bit of the all cricket all the time sports channel before calling it a night. I found an invitation to a guest party Wednesday night here at the hotel club, Dublin, in my room. Sounds interesting, so I might check out the scene when that comes up. Dublin is one of the only nightclubs listed in the guide books.

Time to get back to work. Hopefully I till get to go see that temple today and have new pics tonight. Ciao.

My only free day

Sunday was my only free day in Chennai. I got up early and went upstairs for complimentary breakfast and then went exploring the hotel. The Hotel Park Sheraton & Towers is very nice, despite the ever present mildewy smell and the fact that my toilet was broken when I got here (its fixed now thankfully). I roamed around and checked out the pool and the health spa and the little shops, bars, and restaurants. I will probably be spending a lot of my free time here, so at least it is interesting.

Around 11:30 Keval came to pick me up and take me to the office. He had an interview scheduled and I was going to tag along until lunch time. I met him in the lobby and he said he recognized me from my picture from our website, which I had forgotten we'd updated recently. Still I'm sure he would have been able to pick me out from the crowd. We got along well, and he drove us to the office. More about driving in India later...

We stayed at the office for awhile waiting for the interviewee to show up, and chatted about what there was to do in Chennai. Keval told me that there really wasn't much to do or see here, that there wasn't much nightlife since the city is largely made up of the older generation who sent their kids to the UK and US for work and get money sent back to them. Only since the recent tech boom is there a growing community of young people staying in Chennai, and the so the nightlife is lagging behind. I asked about temples, and ruins, and that sort of thing and he suggested we take a drive down the coast to Maamallapuram and the Shore Temple after lunch.

After the applicant showed up and the interview was over we got back in the car and headed out. They say if you can drive in India you can drive anywhere, and I believe it. The streets are absolute chaos. Keval is a very conservative driver by Indian standards and I was white knuckling for most of the trip. Traffic laws are almost none existent and signs and signals are basically just recommendations. Forget about staying in your own lane, playing chicken with oncoming traffic is standard practice, and cramming 4 vehicles into 2 lanes is very common. The roads were full of buses, cars, 3 wheeled taxis, motorcycles and scooters, bicycles, people, and of course cows, goats, and dogs all interweaving and dodging around each other. Every inch counts, and honking of horns isn't rude, instead it replaces turn signals. We saw the aftermath of two very bad looking accidents during the drive, but I'm surprised that there wasn't ten times that many more.

On the way out to the Maamallapuram we stopped at a resort outside of Chennai for lunch called Sea Crest. It was right on the beach and we got a table in the shade in front of the band, which was a guy on a yamaha keyboard and his buddy playing the bass. I got to listen to Indian renditions of classic tunes by the Scorpions, Aerosmith, and other 80s and 90s hits. Its so great to come thousands of miles away from home and be able to relive junior high and highschool memories. We had a buffet style lunch and I sampled a few things that looked safe. We had a couple beers and tried to talk over the music, but soon gave up and continued on our way.

There was still some evidence of the major Tsunami that had hit this area in December 2004. Many fishing villages of closely packed huts dotted the coastline, springing up again and recovering with the help of the government.

I was glad to finally get to Maamallapuram, but the heat of the day was at its peak and I began to sweat as soon as I was out of the car. I was approached by many trinket sellers showing me one thing after another hoping something would catch my eye. Keval had told me about how there is one price for Indians and another for everyone else. One story he shared was how he witness a foreign woman asking a junk seller how much for a ring, and he said "two for fifty" so fast that she said "two-fifty? That's too much, how about two-hundred" and the deal was made and she was happy because she had saved fifty rupees. The posted admission to the site for me was 250 rupees, Keval only cost 10 rupees. Very much a double standard. Keval decided a guide would be helpful, and an elderly Indian walked us through the site and pointed out things of interest, but it became evident that Keval knew as much as he did and had to help me understand what the guide was saying anyways.

So these chariots, five for the five Paandava brothers and one for their wife, are all carved from a single massive granite outcropping. The story goes that the strongest and most famous brother, sort of like the Indian equivalent of Hercules, won the hand of a princess in an archery contest. When he brought her back to his mother he told her "I have brought something back for the family" and his mother not knowing what he meant said "Well share it with your brothers". Being the dutiful son he did just that...

Anyways, after checking out the chariots we headed over to see the Shore Temple. It was very crowded and hot so we didn't stay long, but I got some nice pictures. The coast is beautiful and Keval tells me the water is warm all year long, but you wouldn't want to swim in it. He said there are fishermen who will take you further out where it is safer to swim, but I wasn't about to do that, seeing as how my paranoia with the cab drivers in Poland was bad enough, imagine being in the middle of the ocean with just a hungry looking fisherman.

On the way back into town we stopped for some bottled water, which was much needed at this point. He asked if I wanted to go shopping, but my energy was fading fast and I wasn't ready to be hounded by junk sellers. I got back to the hotel around 17:30 and went to take a quick nap. Once again my quick nap turned into an all evening thing and I woke up 6 hours later. That's when I got up to post my pics for the day and compose this. Tomorrow Keval picks me up at 9:00 to go to work. It sounds like they do 12 hour days here most of the time. No wonder its such a popular place to outsource to. Maybe I can take Friday off and get another chance to see something outside the city.

Hope you all are well, good night.

First night in Chennai

I'm finally in Chennai, India and settled into my hotel room. Its 5:00 am as I write this, and I'll probably only get a couple hours sleep before my ride gets here in the morning. So far everything has gone very well with no hic-ups.

I packed late Thursday night, and made sure to strip down to just the essentials. So far the only thing I've noticed that I forgot was spare batteries for my camera. It hasn't given out yet though and I'm sure I can buy some here.

I got up at 5:30 Friday morning, took a shower to wake myself up, threw my glasses, got dressed, and went over my stuff one last time. The taxi I scheduled showed up at 6:10 am and whisked me away to the airport. I think I left my porch lights on, oh well.

Eugene's airport is really nice to leave and come home to. It was a good way to start the trip, everyone was friendly and I didn't have any troubles. I checked on upgrade possibilities but my ticket wasn't eligible and there was nothing available. I guess you have to pay for the priviledge to get an upgrade in the first place. Oh well.

Eugene to San Fransisco was a quick and comfortable jump. We were delayed about an hour due to weather conditions in San Fran. I didn't know there was every inclement whether down there. I sat next to a Japanese businessman who just slept for the hour and a half flight. I managed to get aisle seats for the entire trip here, and that worked out just fine. Got to SF around 10:25 with a little over 2 hours until my next flight. I found the gate and then tried to set up my laptop to check out the wireless network. The access point was controlled by T-Mobile so I thought "Great, I'm a T-Mobile customer, I shouldn't have any problems..." Well, I wasn't able to get it to work. I managed to get to my account website and sign up for the hotspot service and pay my overdue bill (left over problems from having my card canceled). Still wasn't able to get it to work and my flight started boarding so I gave up.

During the flight to London I completed about 10 Kakuro puzzles from one of the books I bought last weekend. I stayed up long enough to watch "Mr. and Mrs. Smith" which wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. I celebrated St. Patrick's Day on the plane with a single overpriced gin & tonic. Then I slept for quite awhile.

Heathrow was very busy. Boy those Brits know how to queue up. I got there at about 7am and it took an hour and several international phone calls between Chris and I before we finally caught up with each other. I landed in terminal 3, had to wait in line to get in line for a coach to shuttle us over to terminal 4, where I had to get in line to get to the arrivals area where I waited in another long queue until they could check me out. The customs agent was a little dubious about why I was leaving the terminal when my next flight was in a little over an hour, but he let me through. Chris didn't have enough time to make a sign with my name on it, but we managed to find each other after another phone call and we met up outside the first Starbucks we saw and took a couple pictures. Chris treated me to an English breakfast and some tea while we chatted about travel, blogging, and work. It was great to hang out for a bit and catch up, even though I had to fly halfway across the world to do it. I'd love to be able to spend more time in London someday.

After too short of a visit I had to run and stand in line at the departures security check point. I was pushing it very close, my flight was scheduled to leave at 9:40 am and it was 9:20 by the time I got to the front of the line. There were a couple Indian women arguing with the security agent about why they had to take their bangels off. Being a pro now at security check-points I had my jacket off, laptop out, watch and wallet, all ready to go and through the machine in seconds. My gate was the farthest one away from the check-point so I had to run my tookis off to get there. Luckily there was another large queue for boarding so I wasn't in danger of being left behind. After a few minutes my breathing slowed and my heart stopped racing and I was on the plane and in my aisle seat.

I was getting exhausted at this point, so after completing only a couple more Kakuro puzzles and flipping through the stations half-heartedly I put on the complimentary sleep mask, reclined the chair all the way back to its generous 94 degree angle, wrapped myself with the feeble blanket, and zonked out. I missed one of the snacks, but I didn't care, I was still full of English breakfast. There were plenty of little screaming children on this flight, and I got to have one of them right behind me, kicking my chair and beating on the headrest for added emphasis as he cried in his mothers lap. Fun stuff. Really makes you want to have kids someday...

The gal next to me was kind enough to wake me up for the last meal of the flight. I got my first taste of India as I ate some spicy fried puffy things and watched a sappy Bollywood film. We got to Chennai around 1:30 am Sunday morning. Where did the weekend go?

I called Keval as soon as I got off the plane and he reassured me that someone was there waiting for me to drive me to the hotel once I got through customs. The passport control line took me about half an hour to get through, and I got worried at the baggage claim when I didn't see my bag for awhile, until I realized attendants had been pulling bags off and piling them up to the side. I eventually found my suitcase and headed over to the currency exchange. After another half hour of waiting in line I had a pocket full of rupees. My driver was holding a sign "Mr. Jeff Bennett". I had to laugh to myself, I'm not used to seeing "Mr." in front of my name. He was glad to see me because he was starting to worry that he had missed me. It was nearing 3:00 am now. After a brief confusion about which side of the car I was supposed to get in on, we had a nice little chat and drive, as I sipped my ice cold bottled water that was awaiting me in the car. The driver reassured me that the Sheraton was the nicest business hotel in the city. I gave him 200 rupees (about 4 bucks) as a tip as the bell hop took my bags inside.

I got checked in with no hassles, although I was a bit short with the clerk because he wanted to sign me up for some Sheraton star plan or some such nonsense and all I wanted to do was get in my room. The bell hop led me to my room, I gave him a nice tip and then got settled in. I have a safe in the room so I put my return trip tickets, one credit card, and some of the US cash that I didn't convert in there. Hope I can remember the code to get back in there when I leave...

I got connected on the wireless network here, checked my email, and uploaded some photos. I added a link to the new album I started for this trip. After writing this, its almost 6am and my contact will be meeting me for breakfast in about 4 hours. Going to try to get some sleep, but I'm not tired yet. Good night.

London calling

Well its that time again, time to pack in a frenzy the night before my early flight. Time to see if I've learned anything from my past experiences. Thankfully this time I can pack only what I need for India. Shouldn't need to do laundry, and I will definitely empty my wallet of all non-essentials and keep an iron grip on it. I'm going to be on my own so if I lose it I'll have to sell my kidney for spending cash.

I got some of my travel demands met. I have an international cell phone with a calling plan, a wifi adapter, paper tickets for the entire flight there and back, a Hindi phrasebook, but unfortunately no spare laptop batteries. I'm stuck with this lap crushing beast for yet another trip. I'll have to save up for one of those super slim and hip powerbooks.

So just when I thought my travels were coming to an end I get an email from Mark saying he wants to send a technical manager over to Poland to stay for an extended period of time, like 3 months or more. Of course he offered it to me first, seeing as how I am not attached, have no children, and have already said I would like to go back. Honestly I don't think I'm ready for something like that, but it would be hard to pass up an opportunity to bum around Europe for awhile. We are starting to talk about what would be involved with such a trip and what we would hope to accomplish and such, but there won't be a decision until I get back from India. I don't even know where to begin planning for something like that. What would I do about the house? How do you pack for 3 months or more? What about mail? I have a hard time imagining being out of touch with friends and family for that long. And I would definitely miss Jester, I'm already missing him terribly now since I've had to leave him with his mom for over a month now. How bad would it be to leave him for 3 months or more? I swear I think of that dog like he's my son sometimes. Silly, I know.

So by cosmic coincidence it appears that I will be in London at the same time Chris and Toni will be there, on Saturday morning. We have toyed with the idea of running into each other for tea or a pint while I'm waiting for my connecting flight, but I'm doubtful that it will happen. Still, pretty unlikely to just happen to run into your family overseas on a completely separate business trip. Now I wish I would have thought to schedule a day layover in London to hang out with my big bro in his old stomping grounds. I could have looked up David while I was there too. I've always wanted to go back since I was there over 10 years ago. If only I could convince Mark to start a company in the UK...

Well, the sun is streaming in the window at an angle that tells me its time to go home. Signing off until I get to India. Ciao.

Back in the saddle again

Well, its official. I'm heading back overseas, this time to Chennai, India. I leave this Friday in the morning and I don't get there until Sunday morning. That's due to the 20+ hours of flight plus the +13:30 time difference. I'm going to be exhausted. I'm booked in coach, no chance for business class upgrade. I asked about it, but it would have been $4000.00 of my own money, and I couldn't stomach that. I guess Thomson didn't get to be a multi-billion dollar company by spending frivilously on its technology vendors.

I checked the 4 day forecasts and it looks like I should pack for temperatures of 70-90 degrees, but also be prepared for lots of rain. I'll be there halfway between the coolest and warmest months, which is the best time for travel from what I have heard.

I've got a meeting soon to debrief from the trip to Poland and help improve our international travel policies. I'm going to bring up a few things that I would have liked to have known or had for that trip. Hopefully I will be better prepared for this one.

My flight itinerary follows. Ciao.

17 MAR 06 - FRIDAY
UNITED 6400 COACH CLASS EQUIP-CANADAIR JET
LV: EUGENE 816A NONSTOP MILES- 451
CONFIRMED
AR: SAN FRANCISCO 944A ELAPSED TIME- 1:28
ARRIVAL TERMINAL-3
OPERATED BY-UNITED EXPRESS/SKY

UNITED 930 COACH CLASS EQUIP-BOEING 777 JET
DEPART TERMINAL- INTERNATIONAL
LV: SAN FRANCISCO 1227P NONSTOP MILES- 5368
CONFIRMED
AR: LON / HEATHROW 655A ELAPSED TIME-10:28 ARVL DATE-18 MAR
ARRIVAL TERMINAL-3
LUNCH-BREAKFAST-MOVIE

18 MAR 06 - SATURDAY
BRITISH AWYS 35 COACH CLASS EQUIP-BOEING 747 JET
DEPART TERMINAL- 4
LV: LON / HEATHROW 940A NONSTOP MILES- 5121
CONFIRMED
AR: CHENNAI 1255A ELAPSED TIME- 9:45 ARVL DATE-19 MAR
ARRIVAL TERMINAL-INTERNATIONAL
MEAL

25 MAR 06 - SATURDAY
BRITISH AWYS 36 COACH CLASS EQUIP-BOEING 747 JET
DEPART TERMINAL- INTERNATIONAL
LV: CHENNAI 400A NONSTOP MILES- 5121
CONFIRMED
AR: LON / HEATHROW 940A ELAPSED TIME-11:10
ARRIVAL TERMINAL-4
MEAL

UNITED 931 COACH CLASS EQUIP-BOEING 777 JET
DEPART TERMINAL- 3
LV: LON / HEATHROW 205P NONSTOP MILES- 5368
CONFIRMED
AR: SAN FRANCISCO 518P ELAPSED TIME-11:13
ARRIVAL TERMINAL-INTERNATIONAL
LUNCH-SNACK-MOVIE

UNITED 6434 COACH CLASS EQUIP-CR7
DEPART TERMINAL- 3
LV: SAN FRANCISCO 820P NONSTOP MILES- 451
CONFIRMED
AR: EUGENE 945P ELAPSED TIME- 1:25
OPERATED BY-UNITED EXPRESS/SKY

More Trips

Hi again,

Well its been a nice break from travel this week, but I've rescheduled my trip to Chennai for the 18th through the 25th. I'm not looking forward to another 20+ hour flight there and then back again through confusing and busy international airports, but I am very curious about India. Sounds like Chris is well on his way and is enjoying his stay in Ireland, despite his own frustrating airport experiences. I swear the US international airports are completely mis-managed and their staff is under qualified and over-stressed. What a mess.

I got to catch up with Elliot on the phone today. Its always great to reconnect with him and he always gets my mind thinking. He's kicked off his new blog and you can read about his preparations for the big PCT trip he's been planning for over a year now at http://elsmind.blogspot.com. Great first post, buddy, and I'm excited to hear how it all goes.

The pic of me is from our trip to Seattle for Sunny's 30th birthday. I'll post some more pictures from that trip soon.

Take care, everyone.

Good to be back

Hey everyone,

It's been good to be back home for a little while and I'm all over my jet-lag. I took the first day back, Monday, off work and just took care of my stuff. I got my new driver's license and ordered replacements for most of the cards I lost on the trip. I took the time to deposit a paycheck and pay some bills. I got my new space all set up at the office now too and its starting to feel like home again.

I really like being all together in one building again. Its much easier to see everyone and stay in contact. I don't know if it means I'll get any more work done, but at least I'm starting to feel more a part of the company as a whole and not just my division.

It looks like the India trip may still happen, but I'm not sure when. I'd prefer it be sometime in April. I'm going to try to see if I can't get a travel partner to go with me. I don't relish the idea of going alone. I will definitely pack lighter this time and take only what I need, and I will take a couple things I wish I had remembered from last time.

Lots of people have said India will blow my mind, that the culture shock will be great. I expect to see extreme poverty side by side with modern conveniences in the city. I expect large crowds in busy and confusing streets as well as wandering cattle mingling with the populous. I will have to remember not to order a steak or hamburger while I'm there.

I should pick up an Indian phrase book before I go and learn my numbers and essential phrases. I'm sure I'll find plenty of people who speak English, but it wouldn't hurt and I find dabbling in languages to be very fun. Its somewhat like what I do for work, learning just enough about different programming languages to get by depending on the situation.

I won't have many more updates until my next trip and I don't want to pull viewership from Chris and his trip so check out the links I've added to his travelogue and albums.

Arrivederci

The Long Journey Home

I drug my luggage back down the long flights of stairs and out into the early morning. The cab was waiting for me and the cabbie helped me put my bags in the trunk. He introduced himself as Adam and he knew enough English to understand where to take me and to pass the time pleasantly enough. I used all the Polish phrases I'd picked up on him and he got a kick out of that.

I got to the airport and the big clock outside reminded me how early it was, but I was just happy to be on my way home it hardly mattered what time it was. I rolled my heavy bags inside (thanks again Mom and Dad for the loaners) and went to go check in. I knew I had about 10 minutes before they would open up the check in counter so I looked at the departure listings. When it got back around to the beginning I was horrified to see that both morning flights to Munich had been canceled. I was close to despair. Was I ever going to get out of Krakow?

The thought of another encounter with the ticket hag was daunting, but I had no choice. I rolled up to the ticket office and noticed no one was around and the door was locked. There was already a small crowd lining up outside. Apparently they don't open the office until 5:00 am which is when check-in for the first flight starts. I'd say that's cutting it very close.

At 5 the office opened with only one representative. I was relieved to see that the hag did not work the morning shift. Still, I wondered how this one person would help all of us in time to reach our flights. I pushed and shoved my way into line and tried to wait patiently as she began helping people. Around 5:25 I got to the front of the line and explained my predicament. Once again they seemed reluctant to help me and could not confirm reservations through United Airlines. I think I actually let out an audible groan at this point. Apparently this woman and the hag received the same training. I showed her everything I had and tried to explain what had happened yesterday, meanwhile the office was filling up with anxious people behind me and there was still only the one person to help them all. She started typing away at her terminal without saying another word to me, occasionally taking a moment to help someone more frantic than myself or answer a phone call, but she did not send me away. After an hour of waiting, a second woman came on shift and began helping some of the other people in line and I felt less guilty about holding everyone else up. Finally I was issued new tickets routing me through Paris, Los Angeles, and back to Eugene. It was now 6:30 and the flight was scheduled to leave at 8:05.

I grabbed my bags and headed to the baggage check-in line which was already open for my flight. Prepared for the worst I handed the gal my passport and suitcase. Thankfully she was very alert and caught a mistake in the first luggage tag that was printed out that would have only sent my bags to LA and not on to Eugene. After a brief phone conversation she was able to route it all the way through and issued a proper tag. I was all set so I headed towards my gate.

I've noticed there is slightly less, and to me more reasonable, security procedures in European airports compared to the US. They aren't particularly afraid of shoes or laptops. I did still have to remove my watch and belt every time I passed a check-point. I should have just not worn them, but it was only a minor inconvenience. I did notice though that European airports do not like to provide waiting passengers with power outlets. In fact everything is cleverly designed to hide them even when there are obvious outlets nearby to service vending machines, atms, and such. While I waited for my flight I could not plug in my laptop to charge, work, or compose emails and blog updates. I was reduced to reading my book. At this point exhaustion was just starting to settle in and I was beginning to smell. I took a quick cat bath in the bathroom and it was a minor improvement. The flight to Paris started boarding around 8:30, slightly behind schedule, but we were off the ground by 9:00.

Soon I was in Paris, or at least the international airport. I wish I could have seen more, but I only had an hour before my flight to Washington D.C. on the way to Los Angeles. I made sure to check in with the United representatives this time and was issued proper boarding passes. I boarded with no hassles and took my seat way in the back next to the window. I found that the larger the aircraft, the more cramped the economy seats are. I was squeezed into my seat next to a rotund black woman for the 8 hour flight over the Atlantic. I drifted in and out of sleep and caught parts of various movies on the little TVs on the backs of the seats. They didn't have those 10 years ago when I flew to London. I really liked the map feature that gave you all the stats on your flight and showed where you were at anytime. Now I think they need to add cameras that let you see outside from different points of the aircraft. That would rock.

The best movie I saw on the flights was "Prime" with Uma Thurman and Meryl Streep. I would recommend it, and I usually don't appreciate love stories. "Aeon Flux" was terrible.

Flying over Canada was impressive. Seeing things from such a vantage point is always very awe inspiring. I was glad to be back in the States until I got off the plane at Dallus. I got to experience what it was like for a foreigner to come to this country. Dallus is the dirties, oldest, most confusing and most depressing airport I have ever been in. What a terrible first impression. Being an American in Europe you are very likely to find someone who will speak English and help you. Being a non-English speaker in the US is a bad situation to be in. I watched and listened as many a non-US citizen was talked to loudly and slowly in English as if they were deaf and dumb. I was ashamed that we as a country are so lazy as to not even try to be accommodating to visitors. I was put through the wringer of US customs, once again removing shoes and then having no chair available to put my shoes back on. Despite the confusion and disorganization I was able to find my connecting flight and check-in on time. I knew I would need some cash now that I was back in the States and I wouldn't need my Polish zloty so I hit the exchange counter one last time. It was highway robbery. Somehow $75.00 become $48.00 in exchanging from dollars to zloty and back. Part of the problem was that the counter did not accept "change" and 10 zloty ($3.16) is the smallest denomination bill. I wasn't in a position to argue so I took my diminished funds and waited by the gate for departure.

I tried to make a few quick calls from my cell phone, which until now was useless. I didn't know before I left that it would not work in Europe so it was just extra weight and something I could have lost. Anyways I was only able to make a couple calls before the battery died and I was again cut off from the rest of the world. I boarded the plane and took my seat between two older women, the one on my left and large gal that did her best not to spill into my seat, but it was in vain. Again I was reminded that I was back in the States, seeing that the average American outweighed the average European by a factor of about 1.5. I tried to sleep as much as I could during the 5 hour flight, but I mostly just sat there cramped and crowded unable to get comfortable. I was very glad to be in LAX when we got there at 8:00.

Okay, maybe there is an airport more confusing than Dallus, and it might be LAX. There are 4 major terminals that are completely disconnected and have no information about each other. I was panicking at first when I got off the United flight at Terminal 1 and could not find information about my flight to Eugene. I finally asked for help and they pointed out that my final flight was operated by Horizon and they were in Terminal 3. My baggage was being transported to the proper plane, but I had to find my own way to the Terminal. I waited with a crowd of anxious passengers outside as we watched the shuttle busses go round and round without stopping for us. Apparently many of the driver's shifts were just ending. My flight was scheduled to leave in 40 minutes and I was at their mercy. Finally the A shuttle pulled up and we all piled in. 3 stops later I jumped off and rushed to the check-in counter. The guy at the counter thought he was funny after listening to my tale of woe about the paper ticket issues in Krakow and decided to mess with me and say that there was a problem with my ticket. He let on that he was joking pretty quickly and I told him I wasn't in the mood. Then I got a strange vibe when he had to take my passport and told me he would be just a moment and went into the back room for awhile. I was getting antsy now, 15 minutes till boarding. He came back and handed me my passport. I asked if there was a problem and he said "No problem, its all taken care of". I wasn't going to press further so I took off for the gate.

Maybe it was the fact that I was in a hurry, or maybe it was just chance, but with 5 minutes till boarding I was singled out at the security check point for extra special treatment. I had to stand in an extra special slow line and wait while others passed through. Then they went through my bags thoroughly and gave me the extra special pat down. They weren't impressed when I said my plane was boarding now. When they were unable to find any more reason to hold me up they let me go. I was not enjoying this one bit. Halfway to the gate a TSA agent held up the whole lot of us for a couple minutes due to a "Security Threat" which turned out to be nothing. This new era of paranoia is great.

I got to the gate a little late, but it turned out to be okay because they were a little behind schedule. Around 9:15 we boarded the final plane, a little 2 propeller jalopy. It was scheduled to stop in Medford and then continue on the Eugene. Although the ride was the choppiest, I had the most room to myself of any of the flights and the most comfortable chair. I slept most of the 2 hours home. Once in Eugene I had no problems, got my bags, and got a shuttle ride back to my door from a nice lady who ran the shuttle service. We chatted all the way home.

I was so exhausted when I got home at 12:30 am Monday morning. I just through my bags down, took a quick shower, and jumped into bed.

German Sausage-Fest

Saturday night the taxi driver found the Orange Hostel and dropped me off. I recognized the area from one of my nights out on the town, I think I staggered past it Tuesday or Friday night at some point, its somewhat fuzzy. Anyways, set in the middle of a row of tenement buildings reminiscent of something you would see in London was a dark green building with an orange sign proclaiming "Orange Hostel". I went in the tall doors and was a bit dubious from the looks of the interior. I followed the signs to a wide flight of ancient looking stairs that had deep valleys worn in the center and much of the green paint faded and scuffed away from years of being tromped beneath snow covered boots. Some of the risers had the flat ends of nails protruding out from the effects of the warping wood over time. The last sign said "Orange Hostel P.3" and I sighed looking for the elevator I knew didn't exist and grabbed hold of my 50 lb suitcase and 30 lb carry-on and began climbing.

In Poland, like many European countries, they don't bother counting the ground floor as a story. So I drug my bags up to the fourth floor, avoiding looking down between the wooden railing knowing I would get vertigo from even such a short height. My fear of heights has more to do with the precariousness of the climb and less about the distance. The sight of the low and flimsy looking banister was enough to make my stomach do flips. I clenched my jaw and pressed on.

The Orange Hostel was the only door not gated. The door was open and once inside I was relieved because it was much nicer than my imagination had hoped for. Everything seemed clean and fairly new. The girl at the front desk, Aga, was young, attractive, friendly, helpful and spoke English very well. She welcomed me, got me my key, showed me the kitchen and the bathrooms and the room I would be staying in. It was a 4 person room and there were only 2 others sharing it with me. I had a small cabinet that locked to store my possessions in and they offered to lock up anything else I needed in their storage closet. I asked about internet and she said that the shared terminal didn't always work but that she would let me use the connection at the front desk, I would just have to sit on the opposite side from her across the desk. So I unpacked my bags, storing everything I could in the cabinet and pushed the bags under the bed. Then I grabbed my laptop and headed back to the front desk.

At this point I hadn't yet been able to send a single email since Saturday morning when everything was still going as originally planned. I was anxious to let the group in India know I would not be making it. Aga got me a live cable and I set up, but the only power outlet I could find that would hold my adapter was down the hall and across a wide door leading to more rooms. I had a long enough reach with the power cable and I didn't have much of a choice, but it seemed like an accident waiting to happen to me. I got everything plugged in and humming along and I sat and chatted with Aga about where I should get dinner and such while I checked my email and started composing an email to my bosses about the bad news and my updated plans.

Then I heard the pounding of many booted feet and loud boisterous voices outside just before 8 giant and drunken German backpackers came pouring through the door of the hostel shouting and laughing and pushing and slapping each other. I think Aga and I both had the same look of horror on our faces. Until now I had only seen a very quiet Japanese couple, two bored looking Polish men, an old woman who talked to herself, and 3 street tough English girls. Now this small army had disturbed our relative peace. They swarmed up to the desk and surrounded me as the smell of sweat and alcohol engulfed me. I watched with very little surprise as one of them stumbled backwards from a companionable shove and tripped over the power cable, yanking it from the wall and bending one of the converters prongs in the process. It seems that's the first they noticed of me because then the one that tripped came over and sat next to me reading my email over my shoulder out loud to his friends "Do you really think you are stuck here in Krakow?".

Their "leader", as I thought of him, a tall rugged and fairly handsome looking German, probably in his late 30s , was speaking to Aga. He was blatantly hitting on her already and asked if we were boyfriend-girlfriend. Aga and I both fumbled to answer in the negative, looking at each other with embarrassment while at the same time we were laughing at the situation. I tried to ignore them as I finished my email and they negotiated which rooms they would be staying in and in pairs they tromped off to explore the hostel with loud voices carrying. I had more work to do and another blog update to compose, but I wasn't about to do it at the hostel now so I asked Aga if there was an internet cafe nearby. Before she could answer the "leader" spoke up and tried to give me directions to one he had seen. I thanked him and then asked Aga if that sounded right and she nodded so I went to pack my things and grab my coat. On the way out the "leader" was having a smoke in the stairwell. When he saw me he apologized for disturbing me and chasing me off and then he quizzed me briefly on where I was from and how long I had stayed and what I thought of Krakow. I told him I was from the States, that Krakow was beautiful and I loved it, but that I was anxious to be gone now and headed down and out.

I never found the cafe they mentioned and I eventually found myself back in old town looking for some food. After finding an internet cafe that would not let me use my laptop I wasn't feeling very adventuresome so I into something that felt familiar, a Mexican restaurant. It was down a long narrow and twisted staircase. I ran into a small group of women on the stairs who had just entered before me and I asked if it was closed. They said "No, we are just picky". I wondered what was wrong. I continued down and saw it was deserted, but it looked decent enough. It had a dark warm feeling to it and I figured I'd give it a try. I had a decent meal, and it was very familiar although they use kidney beans instead of refried beans and there was plenty of Polish style cole slaw. It was getting late and I had to get back to my email soon so I ate up and forced the man to print up my ticket quickly so I could pay and go back to my search.

I wandered old town for awhile more, until just when I thought I would have to brave the connection back at the hostel I found "U Louisa" which seemed to have everything I wanted, internet, a hip atmosphere and beer. I wandered down and was lucky to get a place right at the bar in the corner next to the hub. I got myself set up and ordered a beer. I didn't bother looking for a power outlet and just ran off batteries. I didn't think to an extra battery pack on the trip, something to remember next time. I drank my beer slowly while I uploaded new pictures, read emails and composed the second part of "So Hard to Leave Krakow...". The level of my beer and my battery power indicator were in perfect unison. As I finished publishing my blog entry and sent the last email telling Mark and Jason and Paul that I was done for the night and planning on leaving in the morning, my laptop went into a coma from lack of power and I polished off the last of my beer.

As I wandered back I was getting tired and my foot was sore so I stopped at resting taxi driver and asked if he could take me to the hostel. When I showed him on the map where it was he was not impressed and said it was only 200 meters and I should walk. I wasn't in the mood to argue with him and convince him to take my money so I just hobbled back on my own cursing my luck for the day. Things were going strong and the Germans were getting everyone drunk now and singing and partying down with the English girls when I got back. The shifts had changed so I asked the girl that did the night shift to lock up my laptop and then I brushed my teeth, set my alarm for 3:00 am and went to bed. I didn't even bother taking my clothes off because I knew I wouldn't have time for a shower in the morning and I didn't want to be searching around in the dark for my clothes.

I tried to sleep, but the party was still going strong in the other room and I was just too paranoid about sleeping through my alarm. I drifted and woke every 30 minutes or so and checked the clock. Around 2:30 I gave up and turned off the alarm and got out of bed. By now the party had been reduced to 2 Germans, the night shift girl, and a cute Polish girl who was a student and stayed regularly at the hostel. Everyone was surprised to see me up and the Germans asked if they woke me. How thoughtful of them, but I told them no I had a plane to catch soon. The night shift girl (I wish I had asked her name) got my laptop out of the closet as I burnt some toast. One of the Germans stumbled out of his chair and asked if I wanted tea or coffee, and when I answered coffee he scoffed said something about Americans and then set to work making it for me. I couldn't complain. We sat all sat and talked and had our little breakfast until the second German finally stumbled off to bed around 3:30. I set up my laptop one last time and checked my email. Paul and Mark had tried to schedule a new flight to India for me that would have left on Monday, but the thought of another night at the hostel, getting to India almost 2 days late, and being in my current mood, it just wouldn't work out so I asked Mark to please cancel the flight and I was coming home.

I went back into the kitchen and asked the night gal to please call me a cab. She did and he would meet me in half an hour. I sat with the rest of the early morning crowed and shared my pictures with them. Then I took some pictures, packed my bags, and it was time to go again. I said my good-byes and thanked everyone for a nice stay and told them I might be back someday.

More still to tell, but not tonight. Czesc.

Short and Sweet

Hey all! I've gotten lots of requests for an update, and sorry for the delay, but I've had an internet and phone black out since Saturday. I've appreciated the comments and the interest and even the fake posts from my "boss" ;)

So where to begin? So I am here in Eugene now and India has been post poned for now. I'm not sure if I will get a chance to go or not, we are still working that out. I got back at just past midnight Monday morning exhausted, but happy to be back for a little while at least. I just crashed and fell asleep.

I've been trying to catch up with everyone else since I got up. I had enough time to take my stuff into the new office, grab keys, hit the DMV, and the bank. I also grabbed lunch with some friends and gave them the abbreviated version of my last couple days. It was really nice to hang with my friends again.

Since then I've been relaxing at home and getting ready to catch up with my blog. So thats the quick update and there will be more to follow. Ciao.

So Hard to Leave Krakow... Part 2

So I woke up at 9:30 am feeling the after effects of the night before and wishing that the dance party hadn't decided to take residence in my head and from the feel of it they were still going strong. By 11:00 am I finally got myself together enough take a shower, get dressed, and wandered downstairs only to find out that I had just missed breakfast. I wasn't feeling like I could keep much down but I still needed something if I was going to be in and out of airports all day. I scheduled a taxi for 12:30 and went back up to pack. I didn't have any time to shop, and since I had no money of my own I didn't buy any souvenirs to try to pack up. At 12:15 I ran downstairs, checked out of the hotel and then tried to find some food nearby before the taxi came. All I found was a little kiosk. I ordered a panini and some water. It was a nasty little thing that I could barely eat, the new bottom of the list for meals in Krakow, so I threw most of it away when I got back to the hotel. Besides my taxi was there and I had to run.

We drove in silence out to the airport. Thoughts of how easy it would be to take me out to nowhere, murder and bury me, and take my stuff went through my head as we got further and further from the edge of the city. I knew I was paranoid, but I couldn't help it in my current state. We got the airport after an uneventful drive and I paid the man and went inside. That's when I met Remigiusz at the information desk, the most helpful guy in the universe, no kidding.

I couldn't find my check-in counter and when I asked he said it was too early and it would open at 1:15. No problem. I waited and was the first person at the check-in at 1:14. Things started to go south as soon as I handed the guy my passport and he couldn't find my boarding passes. He sent me to the ticket counter. I thought to myself "This isn't good" and headed over there. At the ticket counter I had the misfortune of meeting the worlds meanest and ugliest hag with giant swollen lips. She made everything more difficult then it had to be and was the perfect counter balance to the extreme helpfulness of Remi. She reluctantly looked up my reservations and told me that I needed a paper ticket for this flight. I had never received one, and only had the boarding pass receipts from the flights over. She couldn't do anything about it because flights from Krakow to Vienna required a paper ticket. We argued about that for awhile reaching a stalemate.

that's when I sought the help of Remi again, because I needed access to the internet to get my flight confirmation emails and such. There was no public internet access or net-cafe nearby, but he was trying to work out a way for me to use the VIP room, but finally just let me jack into his connection at the counter. I also couldn't figure out how to use my pre-paid phone-card with the pay phones there and he figured out that it was useless with them so he offered me his personal cellphone to make a local call. The only number I had at the time was LLP office, but of course it was Saturday so no answer. I didn't really know what Paul could do in little over an hour anyways so I gave up on that. I was starting to get frantic now, it was 2:00 and I still couldn't check my luggage or board the plane. I got my internet up and copied down the relevant info and ran back over to the ticket booth, with Remi in tow to help with the hag. They argued for a bit until they reached the same stalemate. No ticket, no fly.

So I needed to call United Airlines and get it straightened out but it was an international call. Once again Remi came through with his personal cellphone and helped me use the pre-paid phone-card which was only good for an hour. I ended up using the whole hour on the phone as I watched the departure time get closer and closer until the check-in counter closed for that flight and it was no longer going to be possible to be on that plane. By this point the gal on the other end of the line had determined that there wasn't a way to issue me a paper ticket for that flight and was trying to help me decide on either purchasing a new ticket to Chennai or pay $200 to reschedule the original flight plan which would take me back to Eugene. I attempted to purchase a ticket to Chennai, but it was either too expensive or too suspicious of a purchase so soon after my canceled credit card and it was not approved. I was stuck. I had to take the option back to Eugene. Unfortunately the first flight they could get me on back to Munich wasn't until 7:00 Sunday morning. That meant finding a place to crash for about 12:00 hours and the airport wasn't very inviting.

Again Remi helped out by suggesting a hostel that was cheap but had internet and breakfast. Then he called me a cab because the cabbies lurking outside the airport routinely overcharge. I had just enough time to go to the exchange counter and get a pocketful of zloty before the cab got there. I thanked Remi profusely, shook his hand, got his contact info, took his picture, and ran to jump in the cab.

Another silent cab ride back into town and I was practically back where I started, just outside of old town. To be continued...

So Hard to Leave Krakow... Part 1

Djen dobry

Wow, what a crazy couple of days its been. I'll get to the rest of the story, but the punchline is that I'm stuck in Krakow for one more night and may be going back to Eugene in the morning instead of India.

Friday started off innocently enough, I went to work like usual and tried to get some work done. It was a bit frustrating, my mail kept cutting out, and LLP couldn't use Jira or QA6 all day long. Did another code review and I finally got all my documents over to Photon via FTP.

Everyone wanted to take me out one last time and they were making plans for me, but wouldn't tell me where we were going, saying it was a surprise. I was into whatever they came up with. Maciek, Szymon, and Artur wanted to take me to race go-carts right after work before we did the late night thing too. Everyone seemed really reluctant to send me off and wanted me to come back. That made me so happy, and I definitely would like to visit again.

Go-carts were a blast! I feel bad that I forgot to take pictures while we were there. It was a decent sized indoor racing track. The guys did their best to explain the rules to me and what the different colored flags meant. Right out of the gate they were blowing me away. I got lapped like 10 times by each of them. They were good. The little cars were hard to control and by the end I had given up and was just going for a leisurely cruise around the track. The track had a camera that recorded your lap times and summed it all up for you at the end. I think Szymon had us all beat, but Maciek argued with him over whether it was the best average time or best single lap that counted. Good times.

Maciek and Artur took me back to the hotel and I got some room service for dinner, probably the worst meal I've had in Krakow. Around 9 I walked down to the Teatre Bagatela and met up with Artur and Gosha. After hanging out people watching for a bit they led me to the surprise night spot we were going to, Szisza Club. Its a hookah bar! I thought I was in India already, except that the belly dancers were all skimpily clad tiny polish girls and it was just tabacco in the water pipes instead of hashish, but still it was pretty darn cool. Anyways, I was super happy at the turn out for the night. Looks like I managed to maintain the Friday Field Trip tradition even when abroad. Maja is LLPs pint marshal apparently because she picked the place and knows all the hot spots.

Yeah, I never smoke, but when in Poland... Actually, the water pipe made the smoke not so irritating and they added apple and mint to it so that you got this nice flavor aftertaste, I was surprised and impressed. Still not going to be something I do on a regular basis. While we were there we met a really cool English guy, David, who was alone and said it was his first night in Krakow. Paul and I were happy to hear another native English speaker so we chatted and pulled him into the group and he fit in nicely. We all talked and smoked and drank and laughed for a couple hours and caught a couple dances in the main room. Then we started planning our next destination. David was up for more and everyone was talking about the Lubu-Dubu debauchle so his interest was piqued. So we packed up the group and headed that way around 1 am.

The bars don't close around here until 4 or 5 am. My flight to India wasn't scheduled to leave until 3:15pm the next day so I was set for a night on the town. We wandered down to Lubu-Dubu chatting all the way. David got to see it and agreed that it was a bit cheesy but still a good time because it was crowded everyone was dancing. We did a few rounds of shots and got down on the dance floor. I got to dance with a nice looking Polish girl for a little while, but I couldn't understand a word she was saying to me. I just smiled at her and kept dancing. I think she got frustrated with me and went off in search of easier conquests. I wasn't torn up about it.

Around 4 am I called it quits, to protestations from the crew, but I held strong and David and Maja also decided to leave with me. We grabbed out coats, said our final good-byes and headed out. It was sad to say good-bye to David and I hope he is having a great time here in Krakow.

I remember getting back to my hotel room and getting ready for bed this time. And then Saturday from hell began...

Chinese Food

Had a decently productive day at work yesterday. Went over a couple code reviews and collaborated on process workflow specifications with Marcin. Tried unsuccessfully to get LightUML installed on my Eclipse. That sucks because I could have used it to generate some object relationship diagrams to share with the Indians.

Anyways, I left work with Paul and took the tram back to his flat, about a 20 minute ride. We talked about the business and how its changed and where we're going and that sort of thing. I'm amazed by people who think beyond tomorrow, I can barely remember what I'm doing today. All I want from a job is to work with interesting people, have fun, get my bills paid, and not get stressed out about it. That doesn't make me a good business leader.

Mark was fishing for interest from me about an executive position during this trip, what it would involve and who might be interested. I felt that he wanted me to say I was interested. I'm not. That would be too much responsibility and I don't handle the pressure well. I'm barely keeping it together right now as it is with this India trip looming ahead. I miss the days of being a junior developer, learning from all the code gurus and finding a little niche to call my own and settling into a comfortable groove. I feel like I've been promoted too quickly as it is and haven't had a chance to learn the skills I need for my position. I think it has a lot to do with the exodus of senior developers leaving me as the most senior by default and the fact that I get along with just about everyone.

Anyways, I got to meet Paul's family: Evonna and little Jacek. We had tea and I collected my laundry while Jacek got his bath. Afterwards Paul and I walked down the road to bring back some Chinese food. We sat and had a beer while it was made and talked more about process, unit testing, agile development, and more work stuff. I like Paul, he is really a very decent person and very intelligent. I respect him. We took the food back when it was ready and had a nice dinner back at the flat. Paul's mother-in-law had just gone home after a visit that day and had left behind fresh crepes so we had those for desert. It was delicious.

I was worn out and ready for bed around 10pm and so said good night and Paul walked me to the tram station and sent me back to the hotel. A short tram ride later I was back at the hotel and ready to call it a night. I tried to catch up on work and emails, but I just didn't have the energy to spare.

Sunshine in Poland

Djen dobry

The sun is out and it is a beautiful day in Poland. I am happy this morning and well rested, even though I woke up before my alarm went off. Thank you again, Chris, for the dual timezone clock for the trip. They didn't have a clock in the hotel room and it is nice to be able to just glance at it and know what time it is at home.

I took my time getting to work today because it was so early. I just missed the first tram this morning but there are so many that I didn't have to wait too long for the next one. I took a shot of the building LLP is in and a few of the shops on the street. These little shops are everywhere and sell everything you could want. Especially the vice shops which seem to be on every corner, like little mini quicky marts, but lots of useful things like tram tickets. The other ubiquitous stand are these little pretzel carts that I saw everywhere this last weekend, but since I've tried to find one to take a picture of I can't seem to.

Yes I actually find time to do some work too. I've been getting to know the devs here and sharing processes and developing new ones with one of the lead Java devs, Marcin, thats the guy with the shaved head and devil beard. Very talented programmer, I could learn a lot from him. I've also been working on my presentation materials for India.

Its time for laundry, and Paul was very gratious and offered to take my dirties and wash them and bring them back for me. I was embarassed to give him my dirty shorts to wash but I couldn't turn him down. The laundry service at the hotel is too expensive and they don't really have laundromats. Most apartments have a small washer and no dryer. Its all air drying. Anyways, I owe Paul big time! I need to think of something nice to do for him soon before I go to India.

Speaking of work, I should get back to it now. Take care all. Ciao.

US 1, Poland 0

dobry wieczor, good evening.

After finishing up work I took the tram back to the hotel, dropped off my laptop and asked the stunning blond at the counter where I should go to watch the game and get something to eat. She pointed me to C K Browar, and basement pub and brewery just down the street from the hotel. It was great. They serve 3 liters of beer in these tall cylinders with a tap installed near the bottom instead of pitchers. I didn't think I could drink one by myself so I just stuck to a half liter of dark beer. I couldn't decide what to eat so I ordered the C K platter which had 3 kinds of pork and chicken and potatoes. I barely got through half and was very full and happy. I watched the US beat Poland 1 to 0 in soccer while I was there. Nobody cheered but me for some reason. After that I wondered back to the hotel to crash for the night. I'm really tired.

Czesc. Hey everyone.

I just got my new credit card this morning, and I'm so glad to have it. Now I can run out and spend all my money. Its been great so far though I haven't had to pay for a single drink or meal. Paul and Mark and the guys here have been so generous. I feel bad because Artur and Dariusz's stay with us in Eugene was so lame in comparison.

This morning I bought my first meal, something like a jelly filled doughnut for 2 zloty. I was rushing to work after over sleeping from my night out on the town with the guys. So I popped into this bakery as I was walking to the tram stop and just pointed at the first thing that looked familiar. It was pretty good.

For Mark, Tom, and Dayrl's last night here Paul treated us all to dinner at one of the finest restaurants I've ever been to. Unfortunately I did not have my camera with me at the time, besides it would have been rude to gawk and snap shots in there I think. The entry was huge and elegant with marble everywhere and a massive cloak room and wide tall stairs. We dined in a small salon on the third floor where there were only a few large tables and big ornate fireplace, but no fire lit. When they brought our food it was a bit of a production with 3 waiters simultaneously lifting the silver covers off of our plates in a flourish. We drank wine and had an excellent dinner.

I had to run at the end because like all meals here are long drawn out affairs and I had made plans to meet up with the boys for drinks again that night. We got started at a little pub with a few beers where the only spot to sit was at a table with some attractive Polish girls. It was a shame. Marcin and Artur proceeded to teach me how to drink and Marcin teased Artur for losing his prowess while being in America.

After that we went back to Lubu-Dubu which was dead the previous night but was hopping on Tuesday night. There was lots of 80s-90s American music playing and only a few popular Polish songs. People were dancing and after another beer and a couple shots of Vodka I had enough liquid rhythm in me to go bust a groove with the ladies. I don't remember much after that. I have pictures that show I must have left under my own power and I woke up in bed at the hotel with my door locked and my keys on me so I know nobody else put me to bed.

Today was rough, but I got through it. The guys don't remember much more than I do and everyone was laughing about it when I finally rolled in to work a bit late. It was a good time and I've got no regrets. I'm taking it easy tonight, but we are planning our next excursion already.

There is a big soccer game today between the US and Poland. I might try to catch part of that somewhere while I eat dinner. Maybe I will check out Roosters :)

Ciao

4 days down, 4 to go

Dzien dobry. Good morning everyone :)

Thank you for the replies and enthusiasm, it is fun to share this experience with you all. I have more pictures from last night and this morning at work online. I also corrected some misspellings of names, I'm still getting it all figured out.

Tom and I grabbed dinner together last night before heading out with the crew from work for the pub crawl. We couldn't make up our minds as to what to try so we just dove into a place when we were both too hungry to care. It turned out to be a very high class restaurant with waiters in vests and silver platters and covered dishes and such. Tom and I were a little under dressed but no one threw us out. I had an excellent roast duck with veggies and noodles and a glass of wine. Eating out here is different in a few ways. Always plan to have at least 2 hours to eat out, and if you have to beg them for a check if you want to leave before then. The philosophy here is that they want you to linger and to only come if you call them, no automatic refills on coffee. All items are sold individually and in a few different portion sizes so you can put together whatever meal you want, which makes it very hard to decide. And over half the menu is usually devoted to the drinks list. I get a strange look every time I order a glass of water, and forget it if you want ice.

They have 2 main competing beers here and you are either an Okocim drinker or a Zywiec drinker and the debate rages on as to which is the king of beers in Poland. To me they both taste like pilsners and my taste leans towards darks and stouts so I'm not too impressed. The vodka is very good here. Their taste in imported American wine is Juilo Gallo and Carlo Rossi! I'm afraid to order a mixed cocktail here and I think I will stick to beer, wine, and liquor served neat.

They actually have in old town a Polish version of the Hooters chain, but here it is called Roosters, using the same 2 large and suggestive Os as the eyes of their mascot. I have not gone in there yet but Maciek assured me that the original concept has not been lost in translation. I will just have to see for myself.

I had a blast last night with the guys, and they showed me a few of their favorite night spots. Monday night was relatively quiet, but with over 100,000 university students in one city and only 400 bars it is still hard to find seating and sometimes standing room in most of them. I tried to get a shot of each of the clubs we stopped in but after awhile I stopped keeping track or trying to remember their names. You can see a few of the street signs updated on the photo album.

I was beat this morning but managed to stumble downstairs and get my breakfast and jump on the tram to work in time. I'm so glad I took the time to get a new pair of glasses before the trip.

I've got to get back to work now, so take care and I will write again soon.

Hard at work in Krakow

Hi everyone :)

I've updated my online album at http://photobucket.com/albums/e220/photos4jeffrey/ . Its ordered in reverse chronological order so the newest are on the first page. If you want to start at the end and work forward it will make more sense :) I changed some of the captions too.

So yes my wallet was stolen the first night here, I'm pretty sure it was taken while we were having a drink waiting for a reservation at a different restaurant and my coat was hanging on the coat tree with everyone else's. Paul remembers seeing a guy taking awhile to get his coat before he left... I've been living on the generosity of my coworkers until my new card arrives. I lost a few hundred dollars, but nothing too terrible. My Visa company caught the first attempt to withdraw money and blocked it and by the time I called to cancel they were already on it. I'm sure I will recover just fine and I've learned my lesson. I feel like I have a big red arrow over my head that says "Stupid American Tourist, Please Take Advantage of Me". Thankfully I kept much better care of my passport.

Yesterday Paul planned to take us on a short hike in the woods, but it turned out to be a much longer trip due to a mix up with the bus schedule and we seemed to have terrible luck with public transportation that day. On the way to the bus station we got going the wrong way on the tram. We took a taxi to the bus station. Once there our original plan to go see some ruins turned into a hike by the Zoo when we learned that particular bus line didn't run on Sunday. So we hopped another tram to a connecting bus stop and not knowing we were cutting it so close we missed the bus while I was taking pictures. So we waited for the next one and finally got out to the park about an hour later than planned. It was a nice walk through the woods, but it was very hard packed and slick snow on the trails. Daryl took a fall at one of the steep points. We wondered around and got a little bit lost at one point and ended up near some University buildings. From there we followed the access road back to the main road, just in time to miss the bus back to the city. After an additional 45 minute wait in the snow we hopped the next bus back into town.
We had lunch in a little cafe bookstore in old town and met a nice English girl, named Kate, who was studying to be a guide at Auschwitz. We were exhausted when we finally got back to the hotel and I spent the rest of the afternoon in my room relaxing and getting ready for Monday. I had dinner at the hotel that night, ran into Tom, who I talked with about work, business, finance, politics and life in general. Its really good to be here and having a chance to get to know the execs outside of work. Paul is a great host and seems like would be a great person to work for. I think I will enjoy being the technical liaison between our two companies.

Yes, Dariusz and Artur are Polish developers who came over to Eugene for about 3 weeks. They flew back with us from Eugene to Denver, to Washington D.C., to Munich, and finally to Krakow. We didn't have any problems with connections or delays or baggage or customs, although Dariusz's bag was torn a bit when he got home. He had bad luck when he got to Eugene too, his bags took an extra day to get there.

As for the Polish girls... it is like there is a fashion model convention going on all over town all the time. It seems that all of them have learned to walk in the ice and snow in high heeled boots. And it must be the lack of cars and all the walking you have to do that keeps everyone so thin here. Its really very bizarre. And did I mention how cold it is? Brrrrr

I heard the guys are planning a pub crawl for me tonight, I'm going to try to act surprised and reluctant "What me? oh no I couldn't do that. I'm really not much of a drinker. Oh, okay if you guys insist. Na Zdrowie!". I've got a Polish phrase book and I'm working on the basics like yes, no, please, thank you, sorry, good morning, bathroom, bank, "can I buy you a drink, beautiful?", that sort of thing. I don't have something similar for India, that would have been a good idea.

The plan is to stay here through Friday, fly out early Saturday morning the 4th I believe, and go through Vienna, Dubai, and finally land in Chennai (Madras) on the 5th. I'm there until the next Sunday the 12th and then I fly home.

Until next time. Do widzenia.

Now with More Pictures

I've added an online photo-album at http://photobucket.com/albums/e220/photos4jeffrey/ that I will keep updating as I get time and more pictures. If I run out of free room on the site I will start removing the oldest pictures. Check it out when you get time and pass the link along to anyone who might be interested. I don't have my full address book on the laptop. Ciao

Stupid American Tourists

I'm fine, I will survive without the cash for now. Besides if I had access to it I would be spending too much on useless trinkets. I'm still enjoying myself and making the best of things.

I had a long day yesterday. We started off with a fantastic breakfast and then went to the castle where Polish kings sat while Krakow was the seat of government. We spent a couple hours there and oohing and aweing over the hand tooled leather wall coverings and massive tapestries depicting scenes from the bible. Then we went into the armory which you know I loved. There were plenty of weapons, armor, cannons and rifles from the 15th - 18th centuries.

Then we went to lunch near the American consulate in the old town. After that we came back to the hotel and I took a short nap that ended up lasting 3 hours hehe. We met back in the lobby, rushed to our dinner reservations, had a great time there and then went to a wine tasting bar. Mark and Daryl were spent and left after that. Paul and Tom and I went out looking for a night club. We found a very cool club in this catacomb like area filled with young people. I think it was called Faust. It was so hot down there compared to the below freezing temperatures outside. We stayed for one beer before the day caught up with us and we headed back to the hotel around 2 am.

What a frantic night

I was in Poland for less than 24 hours and I already got my wallet stolen. I amaze myself sometimes. Anyways I got my major credit cards canceled and ordered a new one to be sent to my hotel before I leave for India. In the meantime I am living of the generosity of my workmates. I'm sure there is a valuable lesson in there somewhere. My card was already under suspicion of fraud when I called them. Luckily nothing got through, someone tried to draw cash and didn't have the right code. I hope I caught the other cards in time too. There are some things that I really wish I had back that were in my wallet but there is no chance that I will get it back if the person who found it already has tried to use my stuff. Anyways, thought you would all get a kick out of hearing that I'm up to my old tricks again. Ciao.

Good Morning from Krakow

I just got a connection working in my hotel room. Just wanted to drop a line and tell you I'm okay and I made it. The flights were long and tiring but otherwise uneventful. Paul, the general manager here at LL Polska, is treating us very well and really laying out the red carpet for us. It is very cold and there is old snow and ice everywhere, but it isn't actually snowing, just bone chillingly cold. The city is really very neat, with lots of old buildings and crowded cobbled streets, but it is also very hip with tons of young people out and about and trendy places crammed into these old structures. The more modern parts of town are very dreary and eastern bloc looking with lots of dirty gray concrete high-rises and sour faced people bundled in their warm clothes. The food so far has been fantastic, Paul has picked for us his favorite restaurants. Food is cheap, plentiful, filling, and delicious. I was starving after my trip and only airport and airplane food to keep me going and having been traveling for over 20 hours. Anyways, there is plenty to do here and I am enjoying it so far. It is 9 hours ahead of you guys here so its now 8:00am Saturday morning. We have a full weekend planned already. I will give you an update the next time I am at the hotel.

lets see if this thing works first

My first post is just to test this thing out and then I will follow up with posting my emails. I was realizing as my mailing list was getting longer and longer and that there were many people who may be interested in my thoughts on this trip, that I should just start a blog instead. I also like the idea of keeping some continuity and being able to review and post from anywhere without having to have my laptop and my address book. Also I like the idea of letting people comment and sharing their comments with others. This may become a regular thing for me after this trip, maybe not, but we shall see.

It was Elliot who talked about journaling and got me interested. We were talking about dreams and I mentioned how I never remember my dreams, besides the fact that I have a terrible memory as it is, and that I should keep a dream journal and write them down when I wake up. He said he likes to journal and thought I should just start one in general. At first I thought that it would be too difficult to keep it up and I felt odd about writing something down without the intent of sharing it with anyone. I couldn't decide on what kind of voice to use or should I write about mundane things I did that day or just emotions or what. But I started a little journal and I've already found it useful and a good way to collect my thoughts and review them. I've already learned a lot about myself by rereading my thoughts from previous weeks, and its become more natural to me now. I don't update it everyday, but generally a couple times a week or whenever I feel I have to get something out of my mind.

This won't replace my journal, because there are private thoughts that you shouldn't share with everyone. This will be my place to share and get feedback. Hopefully I can keep this up to date as well as my journal. I let my journal at home when I packed for my trip, one of the many things I forgot, and I'm feeling the need to write. This will be my outlet.

Ciao