Arcticterntalk.org

The blog of a travelling psychiatrist and football lover. Who happens to be a halfway decent photographer. Takes a cynical view of the world

Archive for the tag “airport”

01 Oct 2012

Jeddah and all its airports. Final KSA Chapter for now. Kingdom of Saudi Arabia


I really have enjoyed my time in Saudi and find the people so pleasant but nothing surprises me here and that is the key to enjoying the country. This morning I was picked up at 6 am for a taxi ride to the airport. Simple. The first question was establishing which Jeddah airport. There are three all within a proximity. The first one would have been for Saudi Arabian Airlines flights which was 12 km, the second was for only the Saudi Royal family, this was about 25 km away and finally the last , third, and final airport which was for all foreign airlines 35 km away. 

I was fully prepared for plentiful discussions and debate with passport control and border agency equivalent staff at Jeddah, as that was my recollection from my last visit in 2008. Establishing beyond doubt that I did want to leave, that I had not and did not intend to commit any crime in KSA and to enquire as to exactly what I had been doing for the few days of my stay. My paranoia was misplaced. My interview with passport control was over in 5 seconds and the stamp provided and no-one else expressed any interest in what I was doing in Saudi Arabia. 

As I sit here in the lounge watching the sun rise higher in the sky and trying to look out of the windows ( not so easy as they are all covered in sand and dust), it does seem that KSA has changed for the better over the last 4 years and I would really look forward to the opportunity to return here one day not too soon.

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29 Sep 2012

Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). Playing in a sandpit.


Arriving in Riyadh early in the morning is an interesting experience. This last week has been occupied with trying to get a Saudi Arabian visa to come over for the weekend to give a couple of lectures as invited to do so on ADHD. This is a complex effort to do and I am eternally grateful to Ahmed at A and M visas who guided me through the whole process, submitted the visa on monday and had it back in my hands on wednesday.

The flight is an overnight flight of 6 hours from Heathrow and landing around 6 am means the temperatures are already around 29 degrees. Driving seems interesting here. In the short term car park most cars are white and most/all are dented. The huge concrete pillars are all dented and scratched with car paint visible. The driving style resembles Stock Car racing. The lanes seem to be randomised to 3 then 2 then 4 then 3, which makes for an interesting drive. First impressions are that I am in a huge sandpit, which I am of course, in the desert. All the buildings are essentially built on sand on rock and there is a lot of building going on. A huge Hummer car passes with what looks like a mural of Gaddafi on the back. I don’t know enough about history or politics to know whether this is correct or likely, or if it is someone else. What I do know is that writing an address on an envelope must take a long time here with huge long road names mostly named after Saudi princes.

The place is a mixture of Saudi nationals in traditional headdress ( looks kind of smart to me, could be tempted) and westerners. There is little interaction other than the few undertaking business activities. My only dislike so far is that all food is served lukewarm but some of the Saudi desert pastries are delicious and I suspect highly calorific. This Marriott hotel is in many ways just like many others in UK and EU with the exception that no bar is obvious.

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09 Sep 2012

The Exeter University Heroes who cycled 4500 kms for charity. Worth your support? Real heroes


Thirteen Exeter university students have given up a summer vacation to cycle from london to Istanbul for Help for Heroes, a charity that supports wounded soldiers. Today they arrived back at Heathrow to what can only be described as a heroes welcome by their families and friends. Terminal 5 might not have seen such a noise for some while. they have cycled 4500 kms and really deserve our admiration.

 

This is what I wrote a month ago.

 

A week ago on 26th July 13 students from the University of Exeter commenced a 4500km cycle to Istanbul. Why? To support Help for Heroes. Many of these students had just completed their degree and graduated 2 weeks before. Somehow they found time to train,organise and generally prepare for this strenous trip. Aside from the obvious physical aspects there were numerous other planning aspects to consider. For example how to spend as little as possible on the trip, as this would reduce the sponsorship amounts for the charity. So, they spend most nights in tents and some nights in cheap hostels. The van they were donated is not of the Formula 1 category and rather like a beached whale is not deemed well enough to migrate the Alps, so will go around and meet the cyclists on the other side. To date they have reached Lyons and are having a well deserved rest day. My son Charles Bushe texted that he had spent a good day but things like washing needed to be done. They will have finished and be back in UK on September 8th. They deserve as much support as is possible. Even if you can only donate £1 then please do so and also importantly please pass on this message so that others can donate.

They are all good folks and already it is clear that they have bonded well together and are supporting each other when needed. For example the first day of their cycle down to Folkestone the temperature was well into the 30′s C, and there were obvious heat problems. A couple of them have had minor injuries such as a fall and tendonitis but they all keep going.

The links are below.

http://www.justgiving.com/Charles-Bushe

Charles bushe

Heroes returning Exeter Uni[gallery columns="1" orderby="ID"]

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29 Jul 2012

A Final View on South Korea from Sherlock Holmes


There is no doubt that I would like to come back here. Based only on two days I would say that this is one of the most polite and pleasant nations I have visited. I saw no aggression nor irritation with two exceptions. A Korean man trying to check in for his flight before the counter was open ( the clue for him was a huge queue and the massive sign saying opening at 14.50) and a Korean man paying his executive level room bill with wads of cash. No smile, no communication. Deadpan face. No thanks either and no bowing. Everyone else in Korea bows to everyone else on every occasion. Let me give you an example. When the check-in desks did open at 14.47 the whole team of 7 check-in staff, stood up, said something together to the waiting travellers ( rather like one might address a church congregation ), bowed to us all, and then rapidly motioned for us to come forward. I will not criticise British Airways for not doing this, but maybe a smile instead of a bow? And not one of those sour mouthed ones either.

The other learning in South korea is that in two days with mostly affluent doctors and other souls, I saw only two overweight people ( out of hundreds if not thousands). One of these was a morbidly obese Korean man in the hotel ( BMI>30, maybe >35), and the other a slightly overweight young woman (BMI maybe 27-28). Why? Easy. They eat less. How do I surmise this? Am I Sherlock Holmes? Well, maybe….

The portions served at mealtimes are much smaller than western sized portions. The meal last night in a grand hotel ( Lotte Busan, if you want to look it up. It has a casino and theatre etc, to give context) was 4 courses. Four small courses. Fish as a starter with bread roll about half the size of UK bread rolls a la Co-Operative. Third of a bowl of asparagus soup. Small steak with side salad, other vegetables and small amount of potatoes. Dessert a small slice of a sort of light cheesecake. No alcohol served at all, and in fact only water and coffee. This was a meal served to a group of top physicians in Korea attending an important annual congress. My second observation was actually a secondary one. I was trying to work out why the airports function better and quicker than UK. The answer is essentially no shops ( certainly no unnecessary ones) and few restaurants. So the whole area is not clogged up by people rampaging for their ninth meal of the morning. Compare and contrast with any USA airport where it seems de rigeur to eat a massive meal even though one is going on a 1 hour flight. So, simple deductions,Watson. Eat less and do not get overweight.

I would definitely return here both in a professional capacity and for a holiday. And in fact I am quite taken with South Korea and shall be cheering them on in the olympics!

Busan from the 33rd floor

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20 Oct 2011

Escape From Toronto


Another grey dull and now wet day in Toronto. The day of escape from this incarceration. I am sure Toronto and its people have their good points but its just that they are well hidden. Dinner was interesting for people watching last night. Firstly the couple who ordered the smallest bottle of wine that I have ever seen outside a childrens game. They sipped their wine ever so slowly that surely evaporation extracted a greater quantity. But there again the advertised house wine and that’s my description not theirs was 42$. Secondlt the family of four who took so long ordering that I had ordered and eaten 3 courses as they ordered. Was desperately trying to hear their conversations. But the adhd congress was interesting enough. A full day of learning that for me began at 3 am my time with waking for a teleconference taking place in UK time. The hotel continuess to underwhelm me. Its easiest to just say what does not work either at all or randomly. TV and Internet and Bath and Lights. The lights really are a strange thing. Surely all rooms need lights? There are none on the ceiling only lights at the edge of one side of the room and a single one opposite. Meaning that one peers like an elderly man who has lost his spectacles in a comedy film to see anything written. The people of Toronto continue to push and shove and generally behave in an impolite manner. The poor guy cooking the breakfast omelettes and that’s a bad job in my view was suddenly confronted with a man demanding not asking for fresh eggs? Now at 7 am in the dark it was a curious idea as to where the real life chickens would be hidden in this large hotel. Some interesting names of people here. Wonder about their derivation? Coffin, Pottie, Psychopath………. No reason to suspect that these are not real names of real people. Even project escape is not so easy. A fire alarm at the hotel results in total chaos. No employee actually was able to recognise the alarm as a fire alarm. Eventually after the obligatory 15 minutes outside all was sorted. The only smoke was from the dreadful woman who started smoking outside seemingly with a desire to asphyxiate me. Then off to the airport. That’s where I was when I heard Gaddafi was dead. In the taxi because the traffic was appalling. The taxi driver spent the journey lecturing me about Lebanon . I am fairly sure he had ADHD as well with no need for any rating scale.

There is obviuously something about maybe this country, Canada, or this city ,Toronto, that does not really agree with me, we are kind of incompatible. At the airport there are hardly any signs. Even a seasoned traveller suc as myself found it very complex to work out something quite simple, which aisle to use to check in, and the choice was only A-G. Just no signs. Then the security process will win the olympics for slowest procedure of the decade. Just not enough scanners, people and one suspects, processes. Luckily on a business class ticket I made an executive decision to go down the entrance entitled ” fast track” and no-one either hit me or threw me out. But the mere mortals in the ordinary queue may still be there tomorrow and saying ” I remember where I was when Gaddafi died, and when his successor took over and when they had children………..still in the queue”. Lastly finding the airport lounge, and I do realise that not many readers will have much or indeed any sympathy for me but I have, again guess what no signs. It is only when you are within maybe 5 metres of the door one can see a star alliance logo and that gives the clue. Sign saying lounge? No way. I am afraid that I cannot wait to leave this country and have no desire to return. Sad.

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18 Oct 2011
3 Comments

Toronto Canada – Dissapointing


Travelling is always an interesting occupation. There are so many not average people. For example I seriously considered on this flight to Canada if David Walliams might be a flight attendant in disguise. Furthermore a definite age limit exists and I am not objecting. No employee shall be under the age of 60 years at any time.
Another aspect worth consideration is the chauvanistic one. Only on a plane can so many presumably competent males become incompetent and need redress from the air hostess. The clever males ask clever questions. Such as what wine? Then having been told the answer they pretend cleverness by asking for French. Seemingly unaware for the last 1000 years the French have made white as well as red wine.
The toilets are also a topic worthy of mention. Despite a plane being of small size they remain incredibly well hidden with a series of hieroglypics on the wall that mean nothing to 21st century man.
But the food is nice but not necessarily quickly produced. This always surprises me. Cold salmon is not often found at 30,000 feet so a delay of more than 2 hours flying time before the obligatory starter appears seems curious. However it was very nice and came with a 20 ml bottle of balsamic vinegar and olive oil. Can these be bought albeit in larger quantities in UK? Meanwhile clever male behind talking in one one of those deep voices made for TV has now forgotten if he evn had red or white wine. I suspect he has forgotten if indeed he had wine. But he manages to say yes or no. And that’s exactly what he did say!
The air hostesses are now falling out. ” I have no idea what SHE is doing…..”
Entertainment without need for TV.
Now the food conversation. Cold Salmon a nice starter. Main course of standard of Co Op ready meal. Fish and mash and fennel and what is described as ratatouille. Hmm. I ate it all. But yup co op dinners are sometimes my preferred option. But for the others here paying £ 3500 for business class? Can I be cynical and presume that airline marketing shows that business travellers have an n= 1 for number of flights? Can this be the best food to be eaten 35,000 ft in the air above Greenland? Not sure. Would I pay 4£ at co op next saturday? Yup. But I did get 2 bread rolls as well that were definitely not as good as co op. Gor those who do not yet know know, bread rolls at co op are the best.
Having arrived at Toronto airport I can say that the airport puts Heathrow to shame. Clean, quick etc…..you get the picture. Heathrow is really the worst airport I have anything to do with.
Toronto however is grey, drizzly, crowded, streets full of pushing rushing people……….have not seen anything desirable to date. My hotel is dreary, expensive and food average at best. For some inexplicable reason all signs detailing the breakfast offerings were in Chinese??? Was expecting english or French maybe.
The hotel room is cold. Trying to work some heating scale on the wall led to the room being colder, seems the options are either cold or even colder ( with cold air being blown out).
Anyway enough moaning. Off to the ADHD congress to see what I can learn.

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20 Sep 2011
1 Comment

North Wales


Well it has to be said that it is alleged to be an area of beauty but sadly that beauty evaded my vision on sunday and monday. all I saw was an unimpressive coastline, rain and grey skies. Manchester airport was less than idyllic too. I did not get off ot a good start. A Vauxhall insignia car, in the dark, with no instructions. first problem how to open the boot. Second problem, how to get the handbrake off. third problem, how to start the car. Hmmmm…….
anyway a couple of lectures and then home again. The bus from the airport was an interesting as in cabaret experience. The X26 is an airport bus, it runs too and from Heathrow. Rather strangely it has precious little and indeed almost no space for luggage. the bus fills up quickly and the driver had a stand up argument along the lines of ” you dont respect me” and ” i know more than you…”, with a gentleman who would not put his case in the correct place!
Went to see Tinker Tailor Soldier spy tonight in a really little cinema in wimbledon above HMV, called oddly enough HMV Curzon. Great film and great acting, if you like spy films. Not looking forward to my london jaunts for the next three days. commuting is not fun

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