Business trip to the Netherlands, leaving Taipei

I've started work on a project which required a trip to the Netherlands. I almost got involved with something that would have involved extended amounts of time in Singapore but I'm glad I weaseled my way out of that scenario. One thing that sucks about Taiwan is you can't get too far on a direct flight and with KLM, I had a layover in Bangkok. Had I known it would be an old 747 with no VOD system, I probably would have gone with China Airlines or Cathay Pacific. I always try and take a redeye because I sleep pretty well on planes and I would rather just land and head straight to work. Most people think I'm nuts but I find that if I head out a day early I end up sleeping when I shouldn't and jet lag is worse.

It's about three hours to Bangkok; the plane was freezing cold and they had no blankets. Not sure if it's just cost savings or what. The one good thing about the flight is they have a strange setup on the KLM 747s where there is an Economy Plus cabin which is half seats, half galley (behind the wall) and they give you more space. My company usually flies us in Plus, though with a full-fare ticket, I was hoping for a business class upgrade which never materialized.

They tossed us off the plane in Bangkok; I'm pretty sure we got back on the same plane. It was a weird process where we went through another x-ray, up some stairs, then down some stairs to the gate. It seemed like our boarding passes were checked several times. I stopped at the gift shop and got some dried Thai pepper crackers that had some fishy/shrimpy type substance in it. It was gross but spicy and salty so I ate all 2,000 calories. And my breath must have stunk like rotten fish.

Back on the plane, this segment I had a free seat next to me which I surrendered to a dirty backpacker because he was stuck in the middle of three and hoping for some more room. As I said, I sleep on planes and I can't smell backpacker stench while sleeping so I didn't hesitate to share the space. Even if you are a stinky backpacker, I can still relate to being stuck between two other stinky backpackers so I figured I'd fall on a grenade.

After landing in Amsterdam I came upon my second and third mistakes at the rental car counter. Mistake #2: an International Driving Permit is NOT a licenese, it's just some hokey translation. You still must carry your state license with you, which I tossed in some closet in Taipei thinking I would never need it again. Luckily, the guy still gave me the car and said, "Don't call me when the cops arrest you", or something to that effect.

Then I asked for a GPS. My company has a policy that GPSs are free for us via our partnership with Avis, but I didn't check the "GPS" box on my travel req because it would have required the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff to sign it and I was buying tickets at the last minute as it was. Avis wouldn't even let me pay for a GPS - no foreigners allowed. He suggested a map at which I chuckled, kickin' it old skool.

So I had this map which would get me in the general vicinity of work. I've been here a bunch of times, but when you have a GPS, you pay no attention to where you're going. "At the next roundabout, take the 3rd exit", OK, left turn, Clyde. Luckily I was able to find my way. Oh fourth mistake, didn't check that the AC actually works in the car, which it does not. There some metal on metal screeching in that compressor and it was literally, pushing 100 degrees on my way home from work today.

The one thing I did do right was further check the car for damage and found several scratches. It's not like it really matters as my company insures the cars and I've sideswiped 2 concrete barriers in my work travels. The car is a Opel shitbox and Avis has gone downhill in every way over the years. But so far it has gotten me to work in one piece though I'm tempted to crash it in to something just to show it who's boss.