Our New Office

You might be thinking … what kind of trouble? Sara, did you have a run-in with the Colombian drug cartel? Are you stranded on a tropical island with nothing to eat but coconuts and mangoes?

Unfortunately, our trouble is nothing that exciting.  But it is exciting none the less.

For starters, when we left Costa Rica for Panama last Saturday we had to leave an entire suit case worth of belongings behind. This is partly because I might’ve overpacked for our 4-month trip to Costa Rica and didn’t want to pay the fees for the extra suitcase on our flight to Panama. I also left a lot behind because I was tired of wearing some of the same clothes over and over again, and I couldn’t really justify bringing gallon bottles of soaps and shampoos along.

Mental note: Sometimes buying in bulk is not a bargain at all.

Once I managed to part with all that crap that I don’t really need anyway, we made our way to the Liberia Airport. Our first flight was on a small plane that was knocked all over the Costa Rican skies thanks to a wind sheer from these small hills that they call mountains. Although Jason was convinced it was going to be the last flight of his life, we did manage to land in San Jose just fine.

Our connecting flight to Bocas del Toro, Panama, was a bit of an adventure too.

We were the only ones on the plane to Bocas. It might be the first and last time I am able to fly on a “private jet.” I had to snap a picture of Jason to prove it too. Pura vida, honey.

As we descended on Bocas del Toro we couldn’t help but notice the partial fence that surrounded half of the airport. It was also hard not to notice the baseball field and baseball playing men located just past the the landing strip and within the boundaries of the fence. I wonder if baseballs pose a risk to take off and landings?

Anyway, we exited the plane and then aimlessly tried to find our way into the airport. There were no clear signs and no airport staff paying close enough attention to tell us where to go. After finally figuring it out, we waited in a small room with two doors.

One door said customs and the other door said immigration. Next to the doors was a desk where a man sat with his legs up while he slept. Apparently the immigration officer was on a lunch break and the guard was on siesta, so we just sat and waited for 15 minutes.

Once that was all taken care of and we had paid for the pretty Panamanian tourist stamps to be stuck in our passports, we headed out to find a cab. Cabs cost a $1US in Bocas, but wouldn’t you know it…we spent our last dollar at the immigration office.

So off to the ATM we went where we discovered that my ATM card did not work and that Jason’s ATM card was MIA.

Bummer.

In the end, we got everything all worked out, but it was an exciting six hours. All was forgotten once we unpacked our bags and started to explore all that is Bocas Town.

Travel to the Pacific side of Costa Rica from the US has proven to be a little difficult at times. And when I say difficult I mean expensive. The closest airport to Coco Beach is in Liberia. The facilities are really not much more than a hangar, but based on the cost of an airplane ticket and the cost of a cup of coffee from the airport’s only restaurant, you’d think you were flying to Club Med.

Despite all that, the Liberia airport is still pretty nice and easy to navigate — you can even sneak on to some Wi-Fi if you sit in the right spot.

Here’s Jason writing a blog post for OurNewOffice.com before we boarded our plane back to Denver.

Last week we flew to Denver to catch up on a few things and take care of some business. We were only gone for about a week so it wasn’t long before we were back on a plane headed to Costa Rica again.

On the return flight we decided to take the red eye from Denver to San Jose and then take a smaller flight on Sansa Airlines to Liberia. The Sansa route was less expensive and it was far more adventurous to sit on a 12-seater over a 747.

The biggest hassle wasn’t that our flight left at 12:10am. It wasn’t even that difficult to pack four months worth of supplies into two small suitcases.

The hardest part of our return trip was the fact that the two flight attendants on the Denver-San Jose leg would not stop talking. Not only were they talking a lot, but they were talking loudly and right next to us (of course we were in the back of the plane).

Having both took a Benedryl we were ready for sleep almost immediately and were not too happy about the constant interruption. Is it so hard? I mean, isn’t it obvious I don’t want to drink? I’m sleeping!

Jason resorted to a few deep sighs and at one point I even put my fingers in my ears trying to shut it all out.

So learn from us. Travel tip number 1,216: Bring earplugs on each and every flight. They might even be more valuable than some silly pillow that hardly helps anyway.

Sunday, November 30th, 2008. Today we were supposed to fly from Penang to Singapore, then Singapore to Hong Kong. The Singapore to Hong Kong flight was routed through Bangkok…but Bangkok was closed.

I talked a little bit about Bangkok democracy protests last week and how they weren’t interfering with normal life too much. That changed a few days ago – protesters from the P.A.D. (People’s Alliance for Democracy) seized Bangkok’s Suvarnabumi airport and shut it down. Our flight, scheduled to go through Bangkok, was cancelled.

So, we hung out at the airport and waited on standby for a flight. It was a very productive work day.

Sunday, November 16th, 2008. In my mind, a ditz is defined as “a good-looking person that’s sort of dumb.” Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport is exactly that – a beautiful place with a dumb layout. Here’s what’s nice about it:

Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport looks nice, but the layout is dumb.

• When you land, or when you pull-up to the airport in a taxi, it’s beautiful. It looks sort of a like a wing. Lots of glass, a very natural shape to the roof, etc.

• When you walk-in, there are these cool airfoil-shaped utility boxes every 20 meters or so that house speakers (for public announcements), air conditioners, and other stuff. They’re neat.

• The whole decor inside the airport is a cross between art-deco and post-modern. The roof is plain and sort of industrial looking, but all the structural elements (everything from handrails to lighting) are made from carefully shaped stainless steel (hence the art deco look). It’s very becoming.

• There are a number of quality statues and artworks inside the airport, each uniquely Thai.

Here’s the stupid part:

• The gates for outbound flights are completely isolated from the rest of the airport. So, after you check-in and make your way through security, you have nothing to do. No shops, no coffee, no snacks, etc. As an American, I’m accustomed to racing through security so that I have lots of time to relax before the flight. I buy some coffee, maybe a snack, look at souvenirs, buy a magazine perhaps, etc. Not possible here at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi. Once you clear security, you sit by your gate and wait. There’s nowhere to buy anything and nothing to do.

Of course, that’s not to say that there aren’t any shops in the airport – there are. The shopping area here is as nice as a large shopping mall. It’s just that all of these shops are between check-in and security. Evidently, the expectation is that you’ll check-in for your flight, casually loiter in the shopping area and buy some food, maybe get some duty-free alcohol, etc., before you wander over to security.

Here’s my question – why would I do any of these things before I’ve cleared security? What if there’s a problem? If I take my time shopping or eating a meal, and security is backed up, I miss my flight. What rational person would risk missing their flight? Clearing security with time to spare is why we go to the airport early, isn’t it?

I realize that keeping people from buying anything after they’ve cleared security is probably a safer arrangement than the alternative. Perhaps this is the future of all air travel, but I’d like to point out that most airports in the US manage to overcome this issue without forcing passengers to wait in boredom before their flight leaves.

I wonder how much this arrangement costs the airport in lost tax revenue? It certainly cost them a few cents today – I was planning on getting a coffee once I got through security.

Wednesday, October 22nd, 2008. We had sort of a bad morning leaving Xian.

First, we had to get a ride to the airport. A little bit of laziness on my part (I didn’t want to walk around on the street trying to hail a cab with my bags) and a mis-understanding with the concierge led to us over-paying about 40 yuan for the cab ride to the airport. While it was convenient, I didn’t start off my morning as well as I would have liked to.

Next, we got to the airport, and after checking in and making our way through security, we found a nice comfortable looking coffee shop. Coffee is considered a luxury in China (very often purchased by visiting westerners), and it is therefore very expensive. We’ve never found a cup of coffee for less than $2 (even just a simple cup), and it’s not uncommon to pay $6 – $8 here for a latte. Obviously, we’ve tried not to drink coffee very much, but Sara and I were craving coffee today. We sat down and ordered a latte, an espresso (same price for both, go figure), a ham and egg sandwich, and french toast. Total cost – $22. Granted, this is the airport, and when you compare it to the U.S. it’s OK, but in China it’s ridiculous.

French toast, cinnamon toast, and ketchup?!

My ham and egg sandwich was nothing special. It was a fried egg and a small piece of ham on four slices of bread with some cucumber slices. The addition of cucumber was unusual to me, but acceptable. Sara’s french toast was completely screwed up. Two small pieces with a big dab of ketchup right in the center! Ketchup on french toast isn’t *bad*, but it isn’t good either – I tried it. Sara was very perturbed (understandably). We left feeling ripped off and a little hungry.

Fortunately, our luck changed. For some mysterious reason we again flew first class (twice in one trip)! I hope that this continues, but there’s a good chance this will be my last first-class flight for a long time. Once the novelty wears off, it’s still an airplane ride. I certainly wouldn’t pay twice as much to enjoy it (at least not until I’m filthy rich). There was also some incredible turbulence during the flight. My laptop almost flew out of my hands a couple of times.

When we arrived in Shanghai, all we wanted to do was crash. Neither one of us was feeling very well, and our hotel, The Crowne Plaza Fudan Shanghai, was simply too comfortable not to enjoy. We upgraded our room to include access to the Club level – free drinks during happy hour, a “free flow of juice, tea, coffee, and water” all day long, snacks, free wireless internet (HUGE), and free breakfast for 200 yuan a day. It was a steal. As expensive as this hotel is, it’s still inexpensive compared to the hotels in Shanghai’s city center (we’re about a 40 minute cab ride away from the Bund, essentially the center of the city).

Because we’re feeling poorly, and because we’ve been touring at what has seemed to be a non-stop pace, we made a pact to take tomorrow off and enjoy our evening.

Sunday, October 19th, 2008. The weather in Beijing has been steadily declining the last few days, and when we arrived in Xian (about 570 miles south-east-ish of Beijing) the weather wasn’t any better. In fact, it was worse. Rainy, muggy, and a lot of “fog.” Fog is in quotes because, well, in China, you have no idea if it’s pollution or clouds that make the clouds.

The good news, however, is that the main attraction in Xian for us – the Terra-cotta Warriors – is indoors. We’re also excited to see the Shaanxi history museum – another indoor attraction. The only out-doors attraction we’re planning to see is the well-preserved city wall, Asia’s oldest original city wall built around 600 AD. It might sound a little dorky to visit a wall, a museum, and some stone warriors, but so be it. This is what the guide book recommends.

The bright spot in an otherwise dreary-looking day – we got to fly FIRST CLASS from Beijing to Xian! Not sure why, not sure how, but we were sitting at the very front of the airplane. I got a glass of water, a cup of green tea, and a snack (appetizers basically) while enjoying a HUGE amount of leg room and a very helpful flight attendant. This trip may have ruined me – it’s hard to imagine sitting in coach after this experience.

The taxi ride into Xian was exceptionally long. There wasn’t a lot of traffic – hardly any in fact – but it still took more than an hour. When we left the airport, a woman followed us for a while shouting “HELLO!” and motioning for us to follow her to her car. Considering the fact that it would be a dumb thing to do to get into a stranger’s car anywhere in the world, it baffles me as to why this woman is trying to convince us to follow her. Evidently, it’s worked for her in the past.

Travel Tip #88: Ignore anyone who approaches you at the airport and wants you to follow them (anyone not in uniform, that is).

Our hotel in Xian is excellent – the Hyatt Regency. I know what you’re thinking – it’s expensive, right? Yes and no. While it’s quite a bit more than some of the “budget” options in Xian, it’s still only $130 a night. Even more importantly, it was the least expensive hotel in Xian that recieved consistently good ratings on TripAdvisor.com.

By the way, have I mentioned how awesome Trip Advisor is? Amazing. If you’re planning a trip, go visit the site. In fact, even if you aren’t planning a trip, go bookmark the site right now so you don’t forget about it. I’ll wait – go ahead.

Trust me – you’ll thank me later.

October 9th, 2008. My first intercontinental flight wasn’t as rough as I thought it would be, but it was pretty hard. Not only was it 14 hours of time in a cramped seat, but I was bracketed by THREE screaming youngsters. I was also very tired – we boarded at about 1 am, and didn’t sleep for another couple of hours.

Here’s Sara outlining all the flights we need to get to Beijing:

Here’s the official flight “Highs and Lows”:

Lows:

• Three screaming youngsters – two in the seats directly in front of me, one in the seat directly behind. I felt bad for them (and their parents) – nearly 25% of the time the kids were screaming.
• The seats didn’t actually recline. Instead, the cushions just slid “up and down.”
• The seat-back “pouch” wasn’t a pouch at all – it was a sort of clipboard that held the safety brochure and that’s about it. There was no place to put trash, my magazines, etc.
• I got nothing done – no work, no reading, nothing.

Here’s what we looked like leading up to the long-haul:

Highs:

• The entertainment system was awesome. Movies, TV shows, and a tourist guide all on-demand.
• It really wasn’t that bad. I got to get up and walk around quite a bit.
• When we got off the plane, the cabin looked like a trash bomb had exploded. There was stuff EVERYWHERE – blankets and trash strewn about, pillows everywhere, etc. It was hilarious.

Bottom line: If you’re a tourist, flying coach is fine. You can do it. However, if you’re making that flight more than once every few months, business class (or better) is the only way to go.