From Asia to South America, via Europe...

[N_Architect]

Dear All,

A journey that spans over three continents, in a period of five and half weeks.

A journey that will start tomorrow. LH to Europe, short stay there, then LH again taking us down to Buenos Aires. TAM Mercosur to Rio de Janeiro after that, before heading back to the Mediterranean. Short stay to enjoy the crystal clear blue waters of the Aegean Sea (hopefully), before heading back to Asia.

For the first time I decided to start this TR right before I embark on this trip; let's see how it goes, will try to upload images and write comments as soon as is practically possible.

Stay tuned.

N_Architect

[s7r0ng3r]

I'm looking forward to it!

Enjoy yourself!

[SQflyergirl]

Sounds like it'll be epic! Bring it on !

[kapitan]

Do the tango in Buenos Aires...

[N_Architect]

Troubles right from the start

Well, since I've started this just before I embarked on my journey, here you go for starters: It was a nice spring day here in the very south part of South Korea yesterday, when I came back from work and tried to sort out last minute things, you know, clean the apartment a little bit (I never bring a cleaning lady or service or whatever else here; only thing I subcontract is ironing…), pack my books & notes for the upcoming session of our Executive MBA program in Latin America (hence the reason I’m going down there), etc.


The north-east view from my apartment. Yes, this place here is fairy small indeed.

It was a rather important day though as well, as at 7pm I had an ‘initial’ telephone interview as they now call it, with two of our managers in one of our largest European offices/hubs. As my current expatriate assignment ends this coming August, I think it is time to move on to something else. Of course this ‘new position’ search is really an on-going effort, as most of you would imagine, given the fact that in one’s career any next step should preferably be done with outmost care. I have been applying internally, i.e. within our company’s vacant positions (but also externally as well), for the last few months in a fairly intense manner, and at the moment it really seems like a rollercoaster.

One day you get a positive email from one of our offices in northern Europe requesting an ‘initial’ telephone interview, next day you get another email from a country manager up in a different northern Europe area asking you if you would like to be considered for a very good and still vacant position there. You then wonder how the application you made few weeks back for another nice position somewhere in the Mediterranean, till you receive another nice email by the local country manager letting you know they have chosen another candidate who possessed more thorough knowledge of the local market. Fine. Perhaps it wasn’t meant to be (at least for now) to drive an Alfa Romeo and live in the country that our own LukeGT comes from… Never mind.


Looking towards the east. On the right hand side it’s the world’s third (ex-second) largest shipyard, DSME.

I’m actually digressing, but that’s me I suppose. Things should either be said in any open way or through any form, or not be mentioned at all. It seems to me this will end up being ‘An expat’s tale of his 3 ½ year life in South Korea’, although I will avoid digressing that much, to be honest. However, as thoughts and memories come to my mind as I take this journey, I’ll express them freely (not that you’d have expected me to do anything different, would you?)

So, where were we? Hmmm, yes, at the interview. First question: “Why do you want to come to (say) Rotterdam?” Heh, after a number of interviews in the past (looong time ago), and having ‘lost’ positions, you now know that it’s not just what your resume says, but most important what your attitude is and how willing and eager you are to get the position, how well you will add value to their services, to their team, to their operations. That’s what matters – and be sure, they can really tell how determined you are, at an instant.

Interview goes fine for half an hour, we hang up and I may get invited to the ‘2nd round’ (and consequently get to meet our jhm as well if my destiny brings me up there…) Last few preps for my trip follow the same night, get out to buy a makeup for my mother (not any special or expensive brand, but the request is always special indeed), come back to finalize everything, then go to bed.


Modern apartments, South Korea. Most of the apartments here look something like this; the architecture and variety of forms doesn’t really get any better.
Perhaps in Seoul things are different, here in the south though that’s the standard.


Right from almost the top of a nearby hill. Okpo, Koje Island, South Korea.


So far till now all is going well. But hei, Mercury is retrograde this period, and delays and disruptions to plans are at their peak, so guess what? My departure would take on a different turn the next morning…

[N_Architect]

Do the tango in Buenos Aires...

Will surely do, Capt.! (if I ever manage to get there )

[milehighj]

And we haven't even seen an aircraft cabin or hotel room yet!

[N_Architect]

Starting off in an unusual manner




Final preps the night before.


Where we are. The start of our journey.


So we’re on D-day (that’s departure day) now. Very nice.

Thinking to myself, well, you had a tiny bit of rice (plain, of course) yesterday in the yard (tiny bit means two or three chopstick-fulls max…), and a tiny little bit of salad in the evening (Greek salad but without any onions), so you should be fine. Ok. Therefore you may allow yourself to have just a little bit of breakfast (cereals & milk, say a fourth of the quantity they serve you on SQ J, just to give you a magnitude of the problem). Great. You have breakfast, get your things, off we go to Pusan Gimhae International Airport. It’s 7:30am, you need a couple of hours to get there, flight departs 10:45am, “I should be fine” (even by not doing my usual 160-190km/hr ).

Or perhaps not?

Well, truth is I have a stomach condition. Nothing big, but lately it has been slightly unpredictable. Gastritis, gas, acid in the stomach and air ‘pockets’ in the body as well, diaphragm ‘pushing’ the lungs and heart, hmmm, doesn’t sound that ‘nothing big’, right? So not being able to eat much lately, and not planning under any circumstances to eat during the flights, I allowed myself that small bit of cereal this morning.

That was it.

Shortage of breath and feeling of suffocation came again, 10 minutes after leaving base, intense periodic pains in head, as well as in both arms and legs. Happened before, but it’s different when you drive and have 16 hrs of flight time in front of you (even if it is in J class). Continue to drive for an hour or so, not having reached even half way through, but at the end finally concede and decide it’s simply not worth the stretch. I pull the car on the side of the highway. I call our area manager, who in turn immediately notifies our office facilitator to come with a driver and pick me up.


Off we go, at about 07:45am. What would follow is another story…

In the meantime, and till they arrive, I walk back and forth next to the car for an hour or so to alleviate the symptoms of the hypothetical ‘suffocation feeling’ and shortage of breath. Things get better slowly as time goes by, but I must admit this was the first time it had been so intense. I call LH PUS, declare a no-show and kindly ask them to release my seat in both flights (PUS-ICN-MUC and MUC-ATH) for other potential travelers. Operator understands and thanks me for letting them know, and in turn offers to have me off ex-ICN any of the following days subject to availability. Same girl that I spoke on the phone y’day, when I had called to change my booking (Z fare type, i.e. restricted) as I was originally scheduled to travel next week, but decided to leave early in order to go and see my doctor back home. As if I knew…


That’s it. I could only manage to go this far. Just before Sacheon Tunnel #2, I pulled the car on the side, not being able to take it any longer.
About a couple of miles before the point where Expressway no. 35 (going south-north direction, i.e. Koje-Seoul) connects to Highway no. 10 (goes east-west direction, i.e. Mokpo-Pusan).


A closer view of my intended route to the airport. As the bridge connecting Koje island to PUS is not yet complete, everyone either takes the car ferry or drives around the mainland.

Anyway, long story short, back into hospital, X-Ray again, E.C.G. again (electro-cardiograph), to check the heart is ok). Situation is much improved, lungs not pushed that much by the left & right diaphragm – so how can this bloody feeling of suffocation keep re-emerging when I attempt to put something in my mouth? Damn! They change my medication once again. Now I know. I should have gone to my own doctor back home when all this started, a month ago, instead of sitting here and wasting my time in case the situation improves…

I am now re-booked for LH to MUC ex-ICN tomorrow. LH PUS said I should arrange my own means to get to ICN (original ticket was ex-PUS). However as it was a Z fare with a Eur 200 penalty for change of date(s), they waived that fee when I made the first rebooking for flying early this week (original departure day was next week). We have special prices with them ex-Korea and since I had booked the ticket back in February online without knowing the exact these corporate offers, they said and as it is for medical reasons I wouldn’t have to pay the fee. So now you can’t ask them to pay for the PUS-GMP flight as well, can you?

I called KE and booked a flight to GMP tomorrow am. Aircraft shows as “Airbus 300”. Flying LH ex-ICN, as there were no seats on the first connecting flight to ATH (upon arrival to MUC), I will spend the night there (MUC), then fly to ATH next morning… So let’s see how this goes. One thing’s for sure: nothing to eat till I step my foot down in Athens soil and get to see my doctor(s)…

More soon.

N_Architect

[N_Architect]

And we haven't even seen an aircraft cabin or hotel room yet!

True indeed.

[Paint Horse]

Fascinating report as always. I do hope this problem will clear up soon.

By the way, my wife and I will be in Athens in October. We look forward to seeing a small part of this interesting part of the world.

[milehighj]

Hope you're feeling better and are finally travelling today.

[SuperJonJon]

That's an interesting start to a TR. I hope that all is well now.

[KeithMEL]

Looks like an epic! Looking forward to yet another interesting TR filled with lots of beautiful pics!

[N_Architect]

Finally leaving...

We were left at the point where I had (again) changed my flight ex-Korea, leaving with LH from ICN. Health and stomach permitting, of course. So nothing was sure yet. Having been straight to the hospital upon our company facilitator picked me up on the highway, I went back home in the afternoon, rescheduled my flights as per above, and trying to get some rest before next day’s departure. Symptoms start again in the evening, and of course without having eaten anything the whole day. Having spoken to my doctor and been advised to get checked by a lungs specialist as well I concede again and decide to go to the emergency section of the local hospital. Our local manager accompanies me this time, it is already 9pm and we set off.

Doctors suggest I take full blood tests and in addition a neck X-Ray as well. Nothing suspicious. I stay there for about 3 hours, till all test results are given out, etc. Been given saline as well upon entry. This helps me as I had not been fed for some time, though it makes me feel dizzy – my guy says it contains grape sugar or something and here in Korea it is standard practice, they always connect it to you as soon as you enter the emergency rooms or are admitted to hospital. Emergency room is fully high tech, I give them my case number and instantly they pull up my history, nurses bring my file in less than 2 minutes, and the doctor stands up in front of two large flat computer screens, both in ‘portrait’ orientation, viewing and comparing my last chest X-Rays and also today’s neck X-Ray.

My man here (apart from our local manager he is also a friend) who is married to a Korean lady tells me most hospitals in Korea are hi-tech, but the fees they charge are pretty high. True indeed, as we had to pay upon exit about 270,000 KRW (around 220 USD). He also told me doctors in Korean hospitals get very good money, about 11 to 12 million KRW per month.

It is an experience indeed to be visiting the emergency section of a hospital at night time. A couple of drunken men enter the large room, accompanied by the police of course, one of them swearing and cursing at everybody. About nine people are under care (including myself) in a large open room, with two doctors and half a dozen of nurses and assistants helping them. A middle aged lady who really suffers from a breathing problem, a very young girl who has constipation difficulties, and few other people who I really have no clue why they came here and what they suffer from. A visit there (or anywhere else in a similar emergency room) makes you really think how you’d wish you can quickly be well and healthy and be able to eat normally and enjoy life.

One more E.C.G., looks ok once again, so we’re confident we’re not having a heart attack soon. That’s good. Released from the emergency room, go back home, feeling a little bit better. But didn’t want to take any chances for tomorrow, hence it was clearly worth it. Taxi is arranged by the company for the next day, 7am, as doctors recommend not to drive on my own to the airport.

[Continued at post #25.]

[N_Architect]

s7r0ng3r, SQflyergirl, kapitan, milehighj, Paint Horse, SuperJonJon, KeithMel many thanks for your comments and interest, and yes, I am in Europe and feeling better now.

My trip has just been enriched, with a new destination in northern Europe added (due to visit next week), so stay tuned as there's more to come.