China 2006 - FFM->HK->...
Today I leave for China. Exactly speaking, I'm the LS AI III emissary to the IROS 2006 conference in Beijing.
Jetlag sets in even before leaving Bayreuth due to my colleague Stefan, who, being my driver to office, passes by my home in early morning.
Today the Deutsche Bahn rail company is on strike. After lenghty consideration of this fact, I ordered a taxi to the train station. The taxi driver parked in the GSP parking lot invisibly behind a garbage bin, so I got scolded all the way to the station by the driver for being three minutes late at his car. In addition, he extorted a one Euro tip by simply not returning change.
Day of DB strikes: the train is 20 minutes late before even arriving. So I had to take a second taxi back to home, then go to Frankfurt by means of Smørebrød. (I wonder if our secretary will be able to reclaim the DB ticket expense from the Rail&Fly combination offer...)
Met my family at the airport; left my car with them to avoid hundreds of Euro of parking fees. Lots of souvenir requests.
Security Check found an old bubblegum metal paper strip in my trousers' pocket that already merged into the fabric over the course of several laundries. In general it's much tighter security than two months ago on the way to Canada, before the GB liquid explosives affair.
Seat facing wall not too bad.
10h30 to go to Hong Kong, then 3h transit, then 3h30 to Beijing.
Food ok, but no medal of honour for Asian food for it. Some red wine to help sleep.
Jetlag sets in even before leaving Bayreuth due to my colleague Stefan, who, being my driver to office, passes by my home in early morning.
Today the Deutsche Bahn rail company is on strike. After lenghty consideration of this fact, I ordered a taxi to the train station. The taxi driver parked in the GSP parking lot invisibly behind a garbage bin, so I got scolded all the way to the station by the driver for being three minutes late at his car. In addition, he extorted a one Euro tip by simply not returning change.
Day of DB strikes: the train is 20 minutes late before even arriving. So I had to take a second taxi back to home, then go to Frankfurt by means of Smørebrød. (I wonder if our secretary will be able to reclaim the DB ticket expense from the Rail&Fly combination offer...)
Met my family at the airport; left my car with them to avoid hundreds of Euro of parking fees. Lots of souvenir requests.
Security Check found an old bubblegum metal paper strip in my trousers' pocket that already merged into the fabric over the course of several laundries. In general it's much tighter security than two months ago on the way to Canada, before the GB liquid explosives affair.
Seat facing wall not too bad.
10h30 to go to Hong Kong, then 3h transit, then 3h30 to Beijing.
Food ok, but no medal of honour for Asian food for it. Some red wine to help sleep.
Labels: China, China 2006, Conference, Travel
posted by PJS at
Friday, October 06, 2006
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