From Asia to Europe: 7 cities in 7 weeks

[N_Architect]

So it is Sunday night, 25th of January 2009. I’ve had a very relaxing day, recovering from y’days trip from DXB, and preparing for another week full of meetings, work and individual study and group work. I go to bed just before 11pm, thinking it is just another night and that I will easily fall asleep. But it is Lunar New Year at midnight, this midnight. Room is dark, but outside the dragon intensifies its presence as the time approaches 12. The fireworks get more and more intense, more and more loud. I can’t sleep. I get up. The view from my room’s windows gets more spectacular as time goes by. New Year comes and the dragon’s exhibition of strength is in full swing. The whole city is literally burning under my feet. Feels as if I’m in a war zone and the boom boom will never stop.





Shots taken two minutes after midnight:




Next: A short walk downtown Shanghai; taking the subway.

[N_Architect]

Decide to go out for a short walk after a couple of days. See how this city feels, how are the people, I have my friend in Hong Kong who says to me all the time “you will like Shanghai, you should go there next year for work.” Well, let’s see, few days are not enough to get a solid feel on such a nation, especially if this is the first time you’re visiting. It took me three years next door (in Korea, that is) and all I have understood is how little I do really know about them and how huge the cultural differences between Europe and Korea are. So let’s come here next year, if we don’t end up in Abu Dhabi or Dubai, and after a few years we may have figured out a tenth of the puzzle.

Downtown Shanghai, Tomorrow Square:


Walking out of JW Marriott Shanghai and towards Tomorrow Square:










Entering the subway:




People's Square subway station, Line 1:






Just 5 stops off People's Square, we disembark in order to go to one of these 'electronics' malls:


Next: The girl who discreetly put an orange from my room in her purse, and who also took (again without asking) the two remaining condoms on the bed's side table; taking QR J to ATH.

[N_Architect]

So yes, decide to momentarily break the loneliness and go out one night, in this (can’t remember the name now) area with shops, bars and restaurants where many expats usually hang around. In theory plenty of fun and outgoing expects me in Europe (with a very special girl), but I decide to take a different chance here in Shanghai, just for few hours. We enter the room, I had brought a nice apple from lunch earlier the same day. She asks “Can I have the apple?” “Sure”, I reply. “Have you had dinner?”, I ask her. “Yes”, she says, “but apple is good for the skin.” Anyway, I go for a shower, come back and see the orange the room had in her purse. Means she took it without asking. Ok so far. Needless to say my wristwatch, cufflinks, pens, money, etc. are hidden and well protected. Anyway, we fast forward (ff) here because if I do not ff the moderators will have an unscheduled e-meeting again tonight, and so in about two and a half hours down the line the girl is about to leave my room. I do my usual thorough check whispering 'condoms, condoms' and observe the two additional condoms I had on the bed side table are missing. She notices and immediately says “I took them.” Yes, but why don’t you say so? You get 1200RMB for two/three hours and you need to take two condoms? What is the logic behind all this? I had few more in my toiletries pouch, so I say to her “would you like me to give you some more?” “Yes”, she replies. I just don’t get this, really, I don’t. Can people get so desperate? I’ll bring you a box next time, God, it’s unbelievable…

Anyway, next day is my final day in Shanghai. Got the fever two nights ago, last night was better, today it’s got worse again. The change in weather conditions from DXB to PVG, in combination with the hotel’s air con system got many of us with a severe cold. The water was not good, I don’t know, something was wrong. Hotel was very good in all other respects, staff was very good and helpful, charges and bills were clear, room was functional, bed mattress was really good, no complaints. Transportation to Pu Dong airport was with the A6, all was ok.

I was scheduled to take the QR flight to DOH (Doha, Qatar). That was around 11 hrs flying time, on a A330-300, 2-2-2 config in the J cabin. Then in Doha (Premium Terminal) I had a transit time of (hold your breath) around 8 hrs. Well, it could be worse, of course, but took the chance as (a) the SQ flights ex-PVG to ATH and back were 2.5 times (yes, yes) the QR J fare, and (b) the QR itinerary would allow me to stay for about three days more in Europe (and three days are important when you see your family three or four times a year). Of course, thinking I’m ‘smart’ I was saying to myself “on this trip I’ll take the pictures that MANFlyer never bothers to take when he flies QR” (hehe). Yea, be my guest, number of QR aircraft cabin shots taken till I arrived in ATH: one (1). Hahaha… anyway, got to do some work on this during my return, if I’m not too tired or too busy…

QR A330-300, en route to DOH from PVG, night flight. Load (J cabin): four pax, maximum capacity of cabin: thirty pax. The recession makes its mark again…



Service was ok, not like SQ of course, but not too far away. You can feel the difference, though. Pajama top handed, a very nice blanket, amenity kit by Aigner (very good, will post the contents later), some choices from the menu were not available (had sensibly been left out due to the low load). Food was ok, but not that tasty. Breakfast just before arrival in DOH was very good.

DOH Premium Terminal (PT) duty free is quite small, not much to see or do, security at the PT is cool, Business Class lounge is shown here:





A quick view of the adjacent First Class lounge:



All went ok, had a shower at some stage, admittedly long layover but had I chosen SQ I’d still be in Shanghai waiting to go tomorrow night to SIN and then ATH.

On the DOH-ATH leg that follows, onboard the QR A321 (2-2 three rows), leading stewardess approaches me: “Are you a frequent flier with us? Your face looks familiar.”
“No I am not, actually this is my second flight; my first one was last night from PVG to DOH. I always fly SQ from Korea to ATH, but this time I thought I should try QR, so this is actually a test for me.” She momentarily stared at me when I said “I mostly fly SQ, as I love them”. Blah blah blah for a few minutes, ok, they’re all right, they’re trying hard. I guess for an airline established in 1997 they’re doing all right, service was good.

More pics and comments when I take QR back to PVG. And then it’s OZ J PVG-ICN, followed by domestic KE J to PUS...

[Kyo]

Hmm, can't wait to see the whole trip concluded! Some very witty one-liners there, and thanks for the sprinkling of the historical/regional facts too! Done in true N_Architect style

[up and away]

Your TR makes for a very interesting read!

Yes, we are in trouble. Indeed. This is spreading out too quickly and something has to be done about it. Similar type of revenue-generating ‘enforcements’ are being adopted in many countries. Not good news. We have it in Korea, I also see it here in Dubai. In Dubai, where they have plenty of space, plenty of money, and they can let the people take their nice car out (whatever that may be) and enjoy driving. Why are you doing this? Why are you forbidding people’s right to enjoy a nice ride out? Why is every country (more or less) adopting such suffocating and freedom-restricting measures? Who gives you the right to do this? Enough with all this and also all the ‘environmentalists’ who go after the car manufacturers on emissions and speed limits. High speed commuting are our right to freedom and it has nothing to do with emissions. We really had enough. More on this in future upcoming TRs. Fixed speed camera shown in the picture.

Yes, these cameras are quite annoying! But with the fixed ones you can at least memorize their location. The worst are the ones they can operate out of moving cars

[9V-SIA]

Love your pictures and your interesting observations/opinions.

As Kyo said, very distinctive N_Architect style...

Thank you for sharing

[N_Architect]

Always a pleasure, guys. Wish I was more diligent to take many more pics and couple them with longer stories and descriptions. There's always room for improvement...

[TIKIS]

GREAT TR DUBAI LOOKS GREAT ALSO WHAT WAS THE LOAD LIKE ON THE DOH - ATH LEG & VV I WILL THINK THAT EMIRATES WILL ALWAYS BE FULL BECAUSE OF THE CONNECTIONS THROUGH DUBAI TO & FROM AUSTRALIA BUT QR DOSENT FLY DOWN UNDER AS YET BUT IF THEY DID THEN QR WOULD NEED A BIGGER PLANE ON THE ATHENS RUN. THANKS N_ARCHITECT LOOKING FORWARD TO ATHENS TR

[dcflyer]

Awesome trip report....

[N_Architect]

Next: The short stay in ATH; back in BUD for a very special soul; meeting KeithMEL at the Le Meridien Budapest; the return to Asia on QR/OZ/KE J.

[SuperJonJon]

Nice TR, N_Architect.

Did you go to Xin Tian Di to break the loneliness? I miss Shanghai.

[N_Architect]

Did you go to Xin Tian Di to break the loneliness?

I don't know where is Xin Tian Di, to be honest. May be it was the place I went that night, but can't remember the name of it. Anyway, the loneliness continues, it appears it is very difficult to break it, so I think I'll try to take it more easy from now on. And something else: I really don't like breaking the loneliness in this way any more. Only real things and feelings stay with us forever.

[N_Architect]

"Be in the moment"

Well, I’m back in Budapest. Yes, it was very important for me to come back, for a very special soul. When you feel that a person you meet is very special and important for you then there is no limit to what you can do. Or at least that is what you initially think…

Why do I say this? Because sometimes you want to do so much, you want to be so special for the other person, you wish time proves to both of you that you are indeed that special one for each other. And then you hurt the other person, unintentionally. May be your emotional reserves are not enough, which means you just cannot exhibit grace under pressure during a passing ‘storm’. You try hard, you really give everything, but you feel you’re still not in tune with her. You think you have patience, but you’re wrong. You feel so lonely at times, and that’s a nasty feeling when you’ve believed so much in coming here to see her.


Walking towards St. Stephen’s Basilica. Budapest, Hungary.

The worst, though, is when you feel you have hurt her, even accidentally. You already feel and you know the degree of hardness she has gone through, the loneliness she has also endured over the years. Everyone has had their own path in life. And you had just been given a small preview of her soul, of her heart, and this is something she very rarely does, you know that, too. That was a privilege, a rare moment, you know it. And that’s why this hurts you so much now, because even if tomorrow or in six months you get to know she’s not the one for you (and you not the one for her), at least you want to know you have left your mark behind while you were here (and also through your ‘letters’ from far away all those months) by making her feel much stronger, much more confident, much more relaxed. No matter where you go and what you do, even if things do not come up exactly the way you have dreamed them (and there is no reason why they should, is there?), there is one thing you are NOT allowed to do: hurt people.



I don’t think there is anything that can alleviate the pain I feel right now, perhaps only time. Plenty of time. Not being successful (at least initially, or so far) in conquering her heart is one thing, and it is something you more or less will find a way to live with in the long run, if that is the final outcome. But knowing that she just made this small and little tiny move of giving you a small window of her deep inner thoughts, feelings, desires and aversions and that immediately thereafter you hurt her by slightly criticizing her, is something you will need much more time and effort in order to be able to forgive yourself and live with it. There is no worse feeling than knowing she may even once say or think “he is the same as many others, he is not different, and he did not care that much.” In this respect, I feel I have clearly failed. And this is just not acceptable for me, as whenever and wherever I go, I just want to do good and really make people stronger.


A very nice flower shop, with a sweet name, near St. Stephen’s Basilica, Budapest.

With her, I didn’t just want to make her stronger, I wanted to make her the strongest. That was a purpose, a dream, a goal. But I fell very short of my expectations. And no matter what you hear now, you don’t believe it, you just don’t buy it that she is “ok”. No, I don’t think she is. And I am the reason for this. And as I said, it is just difficult to cope with this, but I have to and I will. I was never so hard, so disciplined, the way she is. Being able to go through feelings and emotions and not sharing them with anyone. I admire her so much, so much. She can do miracles, and she’s doing them, but instead of me taking her a level up, I brought her back to reality, that it is best not to open your heart to other people. There is no worse feeling than that, believe me. I really don’t care if she would ever become my girlfriend, but it is a very big blow to feel she’s so hurt. You really tried not to “take anything you want” from her, in your own way, in your own logic, in your own principles and values. Instead, you tried to make her feel like a true princess, as she really is one. But you failed. And this is not easy at all to live with.


St. Stephen’s Basilica. Budapest, Hungary.

I will never forget two things she told me: “Be in the moment”, and “I never criticized you.” Words that will forever stay engraved in my soul. Words I will always feel guilty for not being up to, while coming here to get to know her more, no matter how good or strong my original feelings or intentions were. She also said “We’re both sensitive”, but excuses have no place after events have happened. She is, but she is also very hard, I’m not so hard on the other hand. Perhaps sometime she will read this here, I did sent her the link few days ago. There is no worse feeling than disappointing or hurting people, even accidentally. There is no worse feeling than proving to people that no, your hopes and dreams were not true, it is best to continue being ‘closed’ to yourself, cause this may get you to be hurt less in the future. There’s nothing worse than that. If your actions lead to people stop having hope and belief, there is no tomorrow. Life is a celebration, and it’s cruel when we make others sad, even when we clearly didn't mean to do so.


Gerbeaud Café (estd. 1858). Budapest, Hungary.

I am fairly speechless now. The vessel has been emptied. Nothing of the ‘daily’ things I have to do today matters so much any more. The road to recovery will be long and hard, I guess for both her and me. Well, that’s what storms cause, right? The horoscope says for her “…when your trust is put at risk the journey back to togetherness can be long and hard…” Of course believing in astrology is another story… (I do, by the way – hehehe). Yea, I just made the first joke and smiled just a tiny little bit (after a couple of hours of soul-emptiness). But that’s love, to dive deeply into your emotions and not being afraid to show how vulnerable you can be, occasionally, of course (don’t overdo it though, brother, ‘cause they’ll get sick of it and they’ll switch to The Discovery Channel… hahaha – too much of self-satire here, am I already getting better or what?)



So, yes, I’m still here. She is not. She left magazines I got for her, postcards from Shanghai, a red …panty (hahaha, this is getting funny, but I really can’t help it) and a big gap in my heart. Who knows, she may be back, it’s up to both of us, I guess (can I secretly do anything with the …panty while she is away? Aaahahahahahaha). God, I wish she was here so that we could have a good laugh together. May be tomorrow. I have to study, Macroeconomics, yes, the financial crisis, the long-term economic and productivity growth, etc. Hmmm. Interesting? Well, yes, considering I am actually a very lucky and privileged guy. A good job, studying at the same time to get an extra qualification, I have health, it’s just sometimes that I’m too focused on some things and don’t enjoy the moment. And I also criticize too much occasionally. But I don’t mean to do it with a bad purpose. Criticism is tough, though and should be always handled with great care, that’s what I’ve learned. Another horoscope this week says for her “accept criticism with love”. Well, let’s see if she’ll do so. Normally what is true will remain true; only what is false will be exposed. Life is an adventure, and I can’t wait to see what the next day brings…



Next: Staying here for few more days; the beauty of equality and how will it work out; facing openly and with honesty daunting situations; the currency of truth.

[Paint Horse]

You produce the most fascinating trip reports on any of the boards I read by far.

[upright man]

Agreed - fascinating TR.
I can just imagine you walking alone, lost in thought, in the streets of Budapest........