Author: cdymek

From my view out my hotel window overlooking gates 62A, it appears to be a beautiful day down here in Houston.

I fled work’s unrelenting requests at 2 pm yesterday, cursing as I realized that I’d left the cell phone charger on my nightstand at home. I swung by the house, quickly consuming all the extra “meet and greet” time I’d built in to my schedule for my fellow CO51 flyers. Arriving at the airport, I chased them down, always a step behind, until I caught them at the boarding gate. Oddly enough, they spotted me first, which leaves me wondering if there’s some sort of flyertalk “look”. Either that, or my frantic deer-in-headlights expression, gave me away.

Our motley crew had an easy ride down to Houston, with those in the front being so kind as to have the flight attendants bring free alcohol to those of us trapped in the back of the bus. Since this was my first time on a CO flight since last August, I had a chance to see the new CEO’s welcome video. It wasn’t bad, really, but it missed something from the “je ne sais quoi” of the old Bethune video.

The buffet dinner Friday night at the Marriott went over well. Finally seeing some of the individuals behind the messages on Flyertalk helps make it a little more real. That, and having the CEO and other executives sign one of the Continental promotional signs makes for fun entertainment. I’ll have to pick up a few more during this afternoon/evenings’ events.

I’ll be in Houston this weekend attending the CO Frequent Flyer DO. I’m looking forward to meeting a number of other CO FFs, the CEO, and other frequent flyer luminaries.

Kuala Lumpur is an odiferous place. Walking around the city, smells both delicious and repugnant assault your senses

KL clearly has any product you might want at any price you can afford. Heading to centers such as the Suria KLCC shopping mall, you can buy from Gucci and Coach, Nike and Sony. All the high end products you could ask for, waiting to be scooped up. Too pricey? Head down to Chinatown, pick up the cheap knockoffs at the street markets. The latest handbags and wallets, all on sale. Special price, just for you. Let’s make a deal.

The most amusing aspect of the knockoff business was with the entertainment side. Periodically a police officer would wander through the area, and the guys running the show would scramble to move their tables out of the street. Once “law enforcement” moved on, tables and chairs would be moved back out to service the willing customers. When a deal was struck, the front men would call out to the couriers to drop off the product, or make a run to a nearby location to pick up the merchandise.

The catch? To the movie industry, it’s a hands-down debacle. The rise of digital has made perfect copies an easy objective for pirates, and it some cases even the latest theatrical releases are available. This week’s big ticket item: Constantine, which the groups were pushing heavily.

Suria KLCC is like any high-end mall you might find back in the States, seven stories of commercial goodness that makes the Short Hills Mall look like a place for slackers. Dozens of restaurants, at least two or three food courts, immaculately kept. You’d almost forget you weren’t at home.

Except that you look around and see clearly you’re a minority here. Asian and Malay men and women mix around, going about their business. Some women wear headscarves, one or two even wear the full covering. Traditional dress can be found almost everywhere. Most, however, go about in modern street clothing. Those few of European descent stand out by comparison.

The evening was spent watching the Phillipene lounge singers. Their lively antics and their over-the-top performance amused me to no end. The were on the way to ending their run in KL, heading back to the Phillipenes in March, returning to KL in April, then spending five months in Shanghai before returning again to KL.

It’s a long time to be on the road, away from home.

For a reason I don’t fully understand, my hotel provided down comforters to each of the rooms. For those cold in the 80 – 90 degree heat, they could safely curl up in bed sans probleme. Unfortunately, I had a tendancy to wake up at about 4 – 5 a.m., wide awake and sweating. Even tossing off the blankets at that point made no difference.

An early rise and pleasant breakfast under my belt, I headed off to Changi airport to fly up to Kuala Lumpur. First Class on Singapore Airlines was a treat, with attentive service and access to the phenomenal First Class Lounge, where a chef prepares snacks for members and a small buffet spread is laid out. On our short 55 minute flight featured a quick meal and more entertainment and service than some US transcontinental fares. And for less money than the comparable transcontinental fares.

Kuala Lumpur itself was covered in haze.

The car ride in to the city took about an hour, with a pleasant driver playing US songs, to my amusement. Asking after the cloudy skies, he suggested it might be related to wild fires around the city, driven by the nature of the dry season currently underway.

At the hotel, I crashed hard, sleeping for three hours while watching the latest American Idol episodes from the states. The hotel lobby was swinging when I woke up in search of food. A Chinese group was singing a collection of American hits, dancing literaly on top of the bar.

And then, it was 1 a.m. and time to sleep again.

Singapore, like so much of Asia, breathes shopping. Wednesday being my last full day there, I decided to partake in the ritual myself.

A casual walk down to Espalande started off the spending spree, where I pciked up a few items, key of which was a few butterfly magnets. Oddly enough, I’d been looking for these the world over, though I never thought to find them in a small shop in Singapore.

After a realxing full body massage, I headed out in hunt of the HMV on Orchard Road. Three stories in one of the many shopping malls dotting the road, filled to the brim with J-Pop and K-Pop and DVDs and CDs the world over, many on sale, combined with a favorable exchange rate. I splurged, picking up about 10 – 12 discs of movies and music. Whether they’re any good, or I can even play them, remains to be seen.

Wednesday also marked the beginning of the end of the Lunar New Year celebrations in Singapore. To mark their passing, a fireworks display was set off down by Marina Promenade. The fireworks themselves were spectacular enough, but the flaming fields across the way where they launched them from was just as equally disconcerting.

The ambiance around the celebrations added to the evening, as revelers were out in force shopping and entertaining themselves up and down the promenade. The bright lights and street fair atmosphere made for a pleasant ending to my Singapore stay.

The flight departed Newark late, an equipment swap and flight crew issue pushing our departure back by a few minutes. By the time we reached Detroit, the snow had already covered everything.

The next thirteen hours were spent in mental hibernation, a state where your mind is unwilling to confront the events occurring to the body. The cramped space, low lighting, and humming background noise all combine to create, as the woman across the aisle from me said, a vision of what hell is like.

To my disappointment, the flight to Tokyo arrived with such a small lead time I had no opportunity to enjoy Narita International Airport. My own guilty pleasure, sitting in the airport listening to the announcements in Japanese, would have to wait. All was redeemed with a seat change from row 10 to row 5, moving me up from coach to business class. I had often heard of the “elusive” operational upgrade, where so many have boasted they receive these on about 25%+ of their international flights. Yet this was my first experience, and I was overjoyed at receiving it.

Singapore, the beautiful garden city it is, continues to delight. Heading to the MRT station, I was overwhelmed once more by the raw energies of Asia. Shopping here is like a religion, and one cannot find an MRT station without being overwhelmed with stores hawking clothing and electornics. I spent the day wandering about the grounds of the Kong Meng San Phor Kark See Monastery before heading to the botanical gardens to see the orchids. A late return to the hotel combined with dinner, before I found myself here downloading a few episodes of Strangerhood, a discovery from one of the Wired magazine articles I read on the plane, as I stare out my window over the Central Business District (CBD).

Tomorrow, I head out in search of relaxation, fireworks, and more shopping.