Whistler - Day 6

I decided to take a day off skiing to allow my legs the chance to recover. Went on a snowmobile tour with Claire, which was good fun. In the evening we went to dinner with Blake - Bruce's partner at work. Great meal and a guided tour of their sumptuous chalet.

Whistler - Day 4

Continued to explore Whistler mountain with Jessica. Moving at a slightly slower pace now that Adam has gone back home. Apparently this is meant to be the busiest time of the year in Whistler, but apart from one or two minor lift queues, we often had the mountain all to ourselves with not another skier in site. Great snow and skiing conditions here, and a vast area to explore. Only downside is that it can get quite cold (-10 C) compared to Europe in Spring. Also, restaurants are not too numerous, and lack any kind of alpine charm.

Whistler - Christmas

Woke up on Christmas morning and could hardly move as a result of my efforts the previous day. Adam and Jessica went skiing with the Greens while Claire and I spent a leisurely day in the chalet. With all the snow around in Whistler, the scenery looks far more 'Christmas like' than we are used to in the UK, but strangely, the event seems much more low key here in Canada. Had a massive Christmas dinner with the Greens and their friends.

Whistler - Day 1

Uneventful Greyhound journey from Vancouver to Whistler on Sunday. Met by Bruce Green and taken to the Green's wonderful chalet in Whistler Creek.

Went skiing with Jessica and Adam on Monday. Adam acted as guide, giving us the benefit of his 4 days skiing experience on Whistler mountain. He still managed to lose us twice! At the end of the day I took my own way back to Whistler Creekside via the Peak-Creek run. This must be the longest continuous run I have ever been on - over 4500m vertical drop. My legs were like jelly at the end and I needed the apres-ski beer that was waiting for me at the bottom.

Great end to the afternoon in the Green's hot tub with a cold beer to hand. Excellent!

Vancouver - day 3

Started the day by walking to Jessica's old flat in Kitsilano. She was moving out today into another flat nearer to the downtown area. Took a bus out to the giant University of British Columbia campus to visit the Museum of Anthropology. This was very well presented and gave an informative overview of native Canadian art and history.

In the afternoon we went to the viewing gallery in the harbour tower to get a high level view of the city.

In the evening, met up with Jessica again in her new flat, before going to eat in another tapas-style restaurant in a rather dubious part of town. The picture shows Jessica by a steam clock in the Gastown area of the city.

Vancouver - day 2

Walked along False Creek to Vanier Park. Did the various museums there including the Maritime Museum, Vancouver Museum and Space Centre. Picked up a fair amount about Vancouver history and Claire learned how to dock the space shuttle with the ISS - a skill which is bound to come in useful sometime. In the afternoon we did the Vancouver Art Gallery, which has some interesting work by local artists. In the evening, we met up with Jessica and ate out at a sort of tapas bar. The evening ended with a visit to a local blues bar, which was reasonably entertaining.

Vancouver - day 1

Woke up at 4:30 and couldn't get back to sleep. Great breakfast at the hotel then met up with Claire. We did a tour of many of the attractions on Granville Island, where we are staying. Quite a few changes since I was here 5 years ago. Still very attractive with lost of tempting things for sale in the various galleries/shops/market stalls. I ended up buying a daft fur 'Biggles' hat.

After lunch in the market, we caught the ferry across the creek and went shopping in downtown Vancouver. In the evening, met up with Jessica and went to the Sandbar restaurant on the island for an excellent evening meal.

Bangalore

Almost failed to make it onto the plane as Singapore Airlines did not appear to have my booking. In the end I managed to get on after being wait listed. Business class flight, which was nice. Bangalore airport was as shambolic as ever. I failed to stop the porters from grabbing my luggage and was forced to pay $10 to get it back off them and onto my taxi.
Different hotel this time - the Ivy - on the outer ring road. Near airport and new office, but otherwise, the middle of nowhere. No good for getting to the centre of town, but OK for two nights.
The new Subex office is sill like a building site, but at least it will be convenient having everyone in the same place at last.
On Monday evening, I was invited to the Post-wedding party given by Rohan, one of the Optima development team. Good food, but not a drink in sight. Rohan took pity on me and got the waiter to smuggle me a beer or two.
Looking forward to getting home tomorrow.

Singapore - last posting?

This is my final day in Singapore for this trip - very wet so went to the Asian Civilisations Museum again in the afternoon. Last night I went to an Irish pub I had not visited before and they had a very good U2 tribute band performing. (Rattle & Hum from Australia)

Not sure if I will be back to Singapore in the foreseeable future as others are now handling this account.

Off to Bangalore tonight.

Singapore night life

This weekend I am staying in Singapore, which is unusual for me as I normally travel somewhere else in the region, as just about everywhere else is cheaper than Singapore. On Saturday I did some sightseeing, including Fort Canning, which I had never visited before. In the evening I paid my usual visit to the Crazy Elephant bar for some great blues playing. Today was the Singapore marathon which started almost right outside the hotel. I didn't see any of it as I was still asleep as they were coming in to the finish!

Singapore (again - again)

Arrived back in Singapore on Monday evening to resume work on the project that I had not managed to complete earlier in the month. Staying in the Carlton Hotel for the first time as my usual selection are all full. The Carlton is well situated, being 10 minutesfrom the Subex office, right next to Chijmes and the Raffles Hotel, and 10 minutes walk to Clarke Quay. Well into the rainy season now, so it is hot and wet most days. They seem to start Christmas here even earlier than in the UK - any excuse for more shopping I guess.

Singapore (again)

Got back to Singapore on Monday afternoon, for two more days work at StarHub. Had to move hotels as the one I stayed in last week was full this week. This too turned out to be full when I checked in, so they upgraded me to their premier executive suite at no extra cost. I ended up with a luxurious suite with totally over-the-top furnishings (TV in every room, including the bath!) Unfortunately I did not really get the time to make the most of it.

Last night I did my favourite Singapore combination: black pepper crab on Boat Quay (see pic), followed by a Tiger beer at the Crazy Elephant, listening to Mean Jean and the Blues Machine. Classic!

Finishing up some work in our Singapore office now, before heading off to the airport tonight for the flight back to UK.

Phuket

Now in Phuket, Thailand, for some R&R, with Nigel, my work colleague on the Singapore project. Today we went on a boat trip to a group of small islands not far from Phuket, and did some good snorkeling. As usual, snorkeling seems to beat scuba diving in terms of what you actually get to see. Tonight we are off to sample the renowned night life.

Flying back to Singapore tomorrow morning. The project is overrunning and I will now be here at least until Wednesday. I will probably have to come out again later in the month to finish it off.

Singapore

Now into day 4 of project in Singapore. Arrived on Saturday evening hoping that a free day on Sunday would be sufficient to recover from jet lag. Slept in late and spent some of the afternoon lazing by the pool. Normally the extra day would have been enough for me to adjust, but the extra time difference from USA threw me and on Monday I felt zonked by about 4:00 pm.
I have been here so often in the past 3 years that it now seems more like home than does Brentford. On this trip I am accompanied by two work colleagues; Nigel, who has been working with me for several years, and a developer form our head office in Banagalore. In the evenings we have been showing him the sights of Singapore - quite a contrast from Bangalore. Wait till he sees Bangkok!
The project is going rather slowly as the StarHub person who is doing the testing with us is unavailable much of the time. It looks as if I might have to extend my time here until the middle of next week.

Panama City

This is my second trip to Panama. Not much time to look round on the last visit. In theory I should have had a whole day to do tourist stuff on the Sunday but this was screwed up by the lost bag saga. So just walked around the area near to my hotel. Nothing much of any real interest to see.

Customer meetings went well and they seem to be a friendly lot to work with.
I the evening I went out with Chris, my work colleague from our US office, to explore some of the local night life. Drank to much beer but had a good time. Same again tonight, but we will remember to eat first this time.

If there is a next time for me, I will try to do the canal tour, which seems to be the only tourist thing worth seeing in Panama.

Fly home tomorrow, arriving Thursday morning.

Kinston to Panama City

Flew from Kingston to Panama City via Miami yesterday. Trip was a nightmare thanks to American Airlines. 2 hours delay in leaving Kingston with no explanation (apparently technical problems). Would have missed connection in Miami, except that flight to Panama was also 2 hours late - so at least AA are consistent! So I got to Panama City OK, but late. Of course, they had lost my bags. This is the first time this has happened to me in 20+ years of business travel so can't complain really. Now waiting for my case to be delivered to my hotel so that I can change out of smelly clothes.

Port Royal, Jamaica

From a tourist point of view, Kingston is not a great destination. It is all rather run down and there is little to see. Most tourists go to the North coast resorts such as Montego Bay. I did manage to have a couple of hours free on Friday afternoon and took the opportunity to visit Port Royal. This is a historical site near Kingston that was the basis of the Pirates of the Caribbean ride you may recall having been on in Disneyland. Picture is of Fort Charles in Port Royal. Much of the port was destroyed by an earthquake in 1692.

Kingston, Jamaica

Arrived in Kingston late Tuesday evening. Had all day Wednesday to recover from journey before meetings on Thursday and Friday. Spent some time by the hotel pool then headed off to check out the Bob Marley museum. Unfortunately, got there too late for the last tour, so will have to try to fit it in later in the trip.