Singapore airport is like other airports. Small surprise there. Immigration controls are an exercise in frustration tolerance - there are several lanes of people, all serviced by one person each. The lane we choose is by far the slowest - for a while we watch as the efficient young man in charge of the lane to our left checks, on average, four ( Read more... )

Malaysia Airlines into Singapore has the most annoying piped-in music going on all through the flight. Annette, my coworker with whom I'm on this business trip, describes it as „soothing“. I appear to be tired enough that it has some of that effect on me and pass out for most of the (short) flight. Had I been awake, I'm pretty sure it would have ( Read more... )

The flight is unremarkable. Malaysian Airlines, though they share a business lounge with Cathay Pacific, did not elect to go for the cool diagonal arrangement of seats that I liked so much (particularly because of the seats that folded entirely flat). So we make do with the not-quite-flat position I'm familiar with from other flights (including the ( Read more... )

takes his up front money and runs off to buy provisions. He returns in less than the 45 minutes he advised, now sporting a windbreaker, a plastic bag and a half-litre bottle of water. The plastic bag apparently contains his provisions for the weekend ( Read more... )

At Mulanje town, we turn off the highway and head in a direction in which the tarmac soon gives way to dirt roads. Not long after, we end up at a resort, the driver indicating that we've reached our destination. He also insists on full payment for this trip, rather than agreeing to a partial payment now and the rest upon the return trip. Making it ( Read more... )

Our courtesy call with the head of banking supervision is over faster than envisioned and after returning to the hotel, I change from suit to hiking attire and get on my way. It's pretty fast going and I realize only later that part of the reason I'm on my way so quickly is that I forgot to eat lunch ( Read more... )

In the afternoon, we head out (via taxi) to the “big mall”. The taxi stalls at a curve and the engine refuses at first to start up again. A friendly passer-by helps push it back so that the driver can let it roll down the hill and jump-start it that way. He seems to also run a red light later on, which Stuart and I assume is because he's afraid the ( Read more... )

pictures: http://tinyurl.com/mo9x9pRead more... )

Brisbane 2009: Between a misunderstanding with our travel unit and public transportation being what it is, I arrive in Frankfurt only about an hour before my flight leaves, rather than the strongly suggested two. Also, my flight leaves from Terminal 2, which requires a bus ride before checking in ( Read more... )

My morning routine is the usual. I don’t swim very long or far - I’ve noted that at the end of the longer swim I had on Monday, I found that it was beginning to get difficult to keep the fingers together so as to efficiently displace water. One thing I know I can’t use tonight is weak fingers ( Read more... )