Hitting it off right away and Paradise is not far!

Of course, I am not talking about "The" Paradise. I am far to young for that. And I hope that my health will be good enough for a long time before I go to There. That is if I go to There. But that will be for someone else to decide. I tried to live my life in such a way that one day it might help a bit when I have to go to higher fields. But then, at school I was never really good and failed many tests. So, who knows, I might fail again.

What I am talking about is a simple worldly paradise (You noticed that this time I did not write it with a capital P). I will have MY internet again. And that, to me, is paradise.

And I will play with my gadget. Phone, sms, mms, go online, take videos and listen to music.


Not with this one. I ordered it, I received it. We did not hit it off right away. So, I sold it. And made somebody very happy. Because the person wanted one, had no chance to get one and I sold it the same price I got it. Which was very cheap because I had it from my mobile provider.


It is with this one I will have fun. We hit it off right from the beginning. What do you want, it is a Nokia. I only buy Nokia. Why did I buy something that was not Nokia?

I am not far from entering my paradise. In three days.

ZEN

On January 11 I wrote that I might not be around much for 3 weeks. I was not around much indeed. And I still will not be around much. The situation (after a slight improvement during three little days) is still bad.


But in 6 days the 3 weeks are over. And I will be home. And I will be connecting with my "Swisscom Unlimited Bluewin ADSL 5'000".

And that is why I am completely Zen.

Winding up and hitting the road

In a few days, I will be hitting the road (by air, of course). I will close a chapter of my life. I will put a final point to my 4 year mission in Sudan.


I am winding up a last few things and have some more discussions with partners for their new contracts and then I will start the WFP clearance and separation procedure (quite a "heavy" one) to leave in good order.

Being then far away from Sudan will not mean that I will not think about it anymore. I will follow what will happen in this country, I will remain in contact with my colleagues who have become dear friends.

I never forget a place where I have worked. I am away from Kosovo since 5 years now. And I still think about it daily. And of my colleagues there who have become friends also and with whom I am in contact, all the time.

I am hitting the road. A road that will lead me to somewhere. A road that never ends. A road that will be full of adventures. Because I have not finished running the road yet.

But now, there will be a moment (and most probably a short one) where I will rest and relax and indulge in modern amenities and things I have been missing a lot. Like a super reliable internet connection. To be able to comment properly on your blogs without fearing to get "kicked out".

And I need to look into my wife's eyes. I haven't done this for a long time. A good occasion will be when I tell her "Tomorrow, we go to Istanbul".

Road, here I am! Take me away, far away.

Jumping of joy

It seems that the situation is improving. A few days ago, I spoke (again) with the hotel manager. I told him that I had been "advertising" his hotel with friends who are coming from inside Sudan to Khartoum on their ways in and out when they take a few days off. I explained to him that I told them about how nice the staff were, the rooms are simple but OK and the food at the restaurant too. And that, above all, there is free internet access. Well, was. But I told him also that since 10 days it was a real catastrophe. And he makes his (foreign) clients upset by calling someone who thinks he knows how to set up things, but messes up more and more.

I also told him that his equipment for connection is not appropriate and that surely it will not work if you fix a cable into a router with scotch tape. Knowing a bit about those things, I told him that an investment for a wireless router would be worthwhile and cost around 300 dollars, maybe 400 in Sudan.

And he went and bought one. Not a second hand type one. A real brand new one, in a sealed package. He showed it to me and said that he was going to call the "mess up" guy to install it. I proposed to install it ourselves. We did. It works.



Well, the first paragraph of my story is true. What is written in italic is imagination (except for the scotch tape part which IS true). I told them though about proper installation. But I doubt they understood what I mean.

Anyhow, yesterday I went to look at the router they have. And it was, as usual, dead. I checked the multiplug (where many things were hooked to). It was a bit hidden behind a curtain. So I moved to curtain. And then I did hear a "pip" and another one. And the router started to blink. Green lights blinking. Would it work?

I did not run to my room to switch on my laptop to check. I took my lovely Nokia 5800 XpressMusic mobile phone from my trouser's pocket and opened the wireless connection. It worked. And THEN I did run to my room to switch on the laptop. And now I am posting.

I am jumping of joy. And hope it will continue to work. If not, I will tear the curtain away so that the cables don't get tangled anymore.

Thank you, Chandira

Your explanations in your comment to my previous post are comforting me. And February 1, I will be home. And in 3 days (Friday, our weekend) my friend might be biting his nails again, if he lets me sit at his computer for an hour or two.

Network, network........

.....where are you?

I am a total "love and peace" man. I am totally cool.....! I don't get nervous easily and I remain calm. I am not upset.

But.....! The frustration is growing. It reaches almost the cruising altitude level of an airplane flying long distance.

But one should never losse hope. I never loose hope. And who knows, perhaps tomorrow I might be online normally again?

Horse Races

I tried another one. Airline. This time I did fly with Emirates. From Zurich to Dubai. There I had a stop over of 15 hours (chosen by me to have a cheaper fare) before we flew on to Khartoum. And during this stop I was able to fulfill a dream: Buy my Nokia 5800 XpressMusic. In the new terminal 3 of Dubai International Airport.

My first experience with Emirates was really satisfying. I never had (in economy class) such a big plate of food with 2 entrees. The service was excellent, the in flight entertainment smashing and I loved to watch the take off and landings with the cameras that are mounted on the planes. Which where my favorite ones anyway. An Airbus 340-500 from Zurich to Dubai and an Airbus 340-300 from Dubai to Khartoum. A real lovely airline. One of their motto's is (I believe): "The future of aviation has started". How true!


But this does not take anything away from Lufthansa. I did fly with them extremely frequently during the last 4 years. Their flight attendants are perhaps not all the time the most beautiful (which, at my age, is of no importance anyway) but definitely friendly, pleasant and at your service. What I like with Lufthansa is that, during night flights, you don't have to call to get some water or juice to drink. The attendants are permanently circulating with plateaus of drink (soft). But, if you like, you still can get "a whiskey with some ice, please". A real lovely airline. Their motto is: "There is no better way to fly". How true!


The Arabian Gulf countries are really very keen to offer the world top class airlines. And my opinion they are very successful. Qatar Airways will seduce you. Like Emirates, they have multinational cabin crews from many different nationalities. I think this is exciting. They fly from and to Doha in Qatar which is their international hub and their base. The only thing that was not nice was the food. My food. Because the other passengers food looked nice, smelled nice and, I am sure, tasted nice. Not mine. On one leg, I got a fish with rice. Both tasteless. But my meals were brought to me with a nice smile from the attendant and there was a little sticker on the plate saying: "Dear Mr. Voegtli, Qatar Airways is pleased to offer you your special meal". They called my food "Bland meal". ??? I thought a bit and then it was clear what has happened.

When I made my booking there was little window on the screen inviting me to choose a meal. There was a long list of meals I did not want. I just wanted a normal meal. And only one that looked normal was the "bland" one. Inquiring at the service counter in Doha, I was told that I should not have done anything to get the "normal" meal. And that is why I ate, because of my ignorance, for dessert some apple slices whereas all the other passengers enjoyed a chocolate mousse. But this does not take anything away from a lovely airline. Their motto is: "The 5 Star Airline". How true!

So, in the last 4 years I experienced 3 absolute first class airlines. All reliable and pleasant to fly with; all knowing how to take care of their customers and, important for me, covering almost the whole world. Cover my needs. And that is why, most probably, in the future I will only travel with one of them. Because, even in economy class, I feel like a king.

Now, what has this to do with horse races?


In Switzerland, we can bet on horses with a lottery called PMU. You play three horses. This is called a "tierce". If the horses arrive in the order you played them, you will get a big payout. If those three horses come in any order, the payout will be small. I cannot put the three airlines in an order. Because, they are all simply the first three. The are all equal, with one giving satisfaction for this and another for that.


I used to play horses with the PMU. Many years ago. I never did win much. So I stopped. Now, I have another use for horses. I love to eat a nice horse steak, from time to time. And my doctor tells me, it is the healthiest meat one can eat.

***

PS. I succeeded making a post!! A piece of chance, because my colleague let me use his computer at home.

Taking leave!

Not me. But you. That is what I suggest for you to do when I am back online full again. Because I have a million of things to tell you. And you will need time!!

But not with the actual possibility of use of internet. Still very frustrating. But a colleague of mine might let me use his computer and network during the weekend. Perhaps, if he has no other plans coming up.

So, don't loose patience.

I try to send you a message!!

For the next 3 weeks I might not be around, or only sporadically. The connecting arrangements are terrible, nil and almost void. I might be able to hop a bit around. But it does not look good.

But then, one should never loose hope! And I was always good at that.

So, perhaps soon online, comme il faut and as usual.

But it took me about 30 minutes to make this tiny post.

Why?

ewolff - Fotolia.com

I have prepared this post in advance and when you read it, I will be somewhere 12'000 meters high in the air. And look out of the window and my mind, waiting for the touch down, will wonder about.

I have put a new item on the right side of the blog: "Thursday's Why". Our search, our quests, our wondering are many and almost daily. I am doing this all the time. Once a week, I will simply put a question that comes to my mind. On anything. And that question might develop into a post.

The 75/45 factor to the future

A typical view of the weather these days around here. We had some sunshine and then white, snowy Switzerland looks very lovely. But most of the time there is a fog during the whole day. Or we have temperatures just below or above 0 degrees Celsius and a bit of rain. And when this rain hits the ground, the roads turn into ice rinks. Then you need to be a very experienced and careful driver to travel by car. I am perhaps a careful driver, but certainly not experienced to drive in such conditions. I have not driven in the winter for "centuries".

But during the year end season, I have to go and visit my family. 200 kilometers away from my home. I did not hesitate long for the alternative solution.


The train. I posted several times about the efficient Swiss railway system. And I did my trip, in comfort and safety, relaxed and looking out of the window, seeing cars blocked here and long jams on the motorways, assistance vehicles trying to help the cars and their drivers in problems.

During my trip I also had to go to my agency for a final debriefing for my retirement. We could not do it before because my desk officer was away for a long time on an inspection trip to Sudan and Chad. We reviewed my missions since the beginning and they had organised a little send off party. They confirmed that I am now a member of the Rapid Response team (might Gaza be the first assignment?). They also would like to "use" me for training courses to pass on the knowledge of humanitarian aid. I told them that this would please me.

So, the 75/45 factor has taken me to the future of semi-retirement. It took me 45 minutes to travel by train 75 kilometers, including a change of train at Berne's main railway station. You can't beat that by car, in the winter.

***

I am off to Sudan in two days and might not be able to post for a few days, but I will be back soon.

Jazz on the 5th, Nr. 8

Two giants in Latin Jazz. Michel Camilo from the Dominican Republic, on the piano, and Paquito d'Rivera from Cuba, on alto saxophone. They are playing one of Michel's top tunes: Caribe.

I had the pleasure of seeing both of them at Montreux Jazz Festival. Though not together. Paquito played with Dizzy Gillespie's United Nations Orchestra, in company of other great artists, like Arturo Sandoval and James Moody.

Michel Camilo had a solo performance and that was just great. All by himself he was a full orchestra. He has an "out of this world" way to play this wonderful instrument, the piano.

Travel plans, certain and uncertain!

Did you make any "New Year" resolutions? Like spending less money on shopping? Or not getting nervous for a futile thing? Or stop smoking!! I did not take any. But the year has still 363 days. And perhaps during the year, some real good resolutions might come. For me, however, I decided that I should put some travel plans into reality. Here are some of them.


Three days ago, I had lunch with a friend of mine, an architect. We worked together in Kosovo and he is going to spent New Year's Eve in Prishtina. It is 4 years since I have been in Kosovo last. And my friends are waiting. I told my friend to bring a message to Kosovo. I will go there in March. For certain.


Somebody else is waiting too. My wife. Since long I promised her that I will take her for a long weekend to Istanbul. I had told her how exciting I found this city. After all, it is only 2 hours to fly from Geneva. So, later this year, I will take her to Istanbul. Almost certain.


I posted about my big dream before. Going to Mongolia. With the Trans Siberian Express from Moscou. To meet the squirrel hunter in the tundra. I have seen a story about him on a "National Geographic" video. I really want to do this trip. This year? Uncertain.


Dubai. The glamour of the Arabian Peninsula. I will go there this year. Twice. I will spend 2 days early January and another 2 days early February. On my way to and from Sudan. My son will take me around and show me all the fancy places. This is certain.


And when you read this post, I am on the road to visit the city where I have grown up: Olten. This is certain. The photo shows an "attractive" sight of the city. But I tell you, it is the most boring city I ever have known. I only go there to visit my mother who still lives there.


And finally, a city I might be able to go to this year: Accra, the capital city of Ghana. I have not been there since more than 10 years. My In-laws would be pleased to see me. And it would be a good opportunity to reduce my frequent flyer miles. So, up to me to make it certain.

This are the projects as of now. Perhaps (most probably) they will change. Many factors will have an influence. What is for certain is that my travel will not be limited to a 12 bus stops ride on trolleybus line 1 from Montreux to Vevey.