Doha, Qatar - A business trip

A lot of people I spoke with before this trip had no idea where Doha is. I did my best to explain the location and also mention Qatar it is where the FIFA 2022 World Cup will take place. Personally, I think there is value in knowing geography and being able to read a map. In fact, when car GPS units started to hit mainstream years ago - I met people who really struggled to read a road map.

Anyway - work sent me to Doha, Qatar for... you guessed it...a trade show. While my flight itinerary actually showed IAD -> DOH, there was a very short stop off in Dubai. This was my first time the the gulf region and never have I ever been through so much security. Besides the normal protocol in USA airports, upon stopping in DXB we had to disembark, go through another security station, wait for our gate to open, go through another security screening (palms, waist, ankles tested for explosives residue) plus a bag check. After getting to Doha I waited quite a long time for immigration processing and then grabbed my bag to head to customs. In the customs area, even if you had nothing to declare they had tables and more x-ray machines set up so they could randomly pick passersby for more screening.

I finally made it out into Qatar proper after what seemed like forever.

Upon arrival to my hotel, I was quite impressed. I stayed at the W Doha hotel and it was very trendy looking. It was like stepping into a night club rather than a hotel lobby. The doormen were quite helpful and friendly and assisted us from arrival to getting our bags to our room and helping us find all the proper light switches and such. Below is a room tour:

That night I barely slept, waking up at all hours due to jet lag. It was expected but for once I wish I could just instantly adjust.

The next two days were spent inspecting the exhibition venue and the build of our stand. The venue was very nice. It was clean, well lit, properly laid out, and had sufficient facilities for the size of the event. I've been to many of these exhibition venues and often times they suffer in a few categories but this venue seemed top notch. There was quite a bit of construction happening around the venue but nothing that really disturbed the function.

Set up went smoothly and the event got underway - I won't bore you with the details of the trade show but basically this show was focused on maritime defense and security. Many, many exhibitors were present to show off their wares and services. Others were there to focus on B2B (business-to-business) ventures.

Overall, I did not really know what to expect going to the gulf region. There is a lot of new construction and development currently occurring. There is also a high influx of imported labor from surrounding nations and Asia. I hear that only about 30% of the Qatari population is native Qatari people and that the other 70% are ex-pats and workers.

My flight back was uneventful and I actually slept most of it which I thought would help with the jet lag battle but around 2PM local time I was already feeling tired.

Until next time...

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A break from the snowy cold weather...

This past week I finally got a respite from the cold, snowy weather of the mid-Atlantic. Work had me travel down south to hot and sunny Florida. I left home in a jacket, sweater, and long pants and could have easily gotten away with a T-shirt and shorts when I got off the plane.

The actually plane ride down to Florida was quite cramped as I was the middle seat on an old Boeing 717 run by AirTran. I can see why travelers (including myself) are frustrated with how long Southwest Airlines is taking to integrate AirTran into one brand. Believe it or not, I've heard these old 717s are going to be given to Delta Airlines once the integration is complete. (FYI-Southwest only uses 737s).

Anyway - as usual, I did a little walk around of my hotel room. It was an Embassy Suites which I hear is going to get a major overhaul within the next year or so. The furnishings weren't that old looking but the hotel could use an update. The lobby smelled of chlorine from the pool area. The breakfast was pretty good and I didn't partake in the manager's reception in the evening due to work obligations.

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Happy New Year! First trip of the year completed!

Greetings and a very late Happy New Year to you all!

I just returned from my first business trip of the year. The show was located at Nellis AFB which if you don't know, is situated very close to Las Vegas. My only experience with Las Vegas previously was by playing Fallout: New Vegas. I must say the game designers got a lot of the geography spot on. I even had the urge to visit Primm to see if ED-E was waiting for me to return...

With every business trip comes...a hotel room tour! I was not directly on the strip...just a block off:

The refrigerator in the room was quite loud and looked somewhat old but the rest of the room was updated and very nice. I did have one gripe besides the refrigerator and that was no desk/workstation. As I travel mostly for business this is an essential for me (oversight while booking I suppose). Both of these things are very minor in the grand scheme of things. Also the parking desk and pool were under construction.

On a side note - I'd also like to thank all my blog visitors looking for information regarding Sogang's KIP program! It was a blast!
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My Korean Autumn 2013: Day 10 - Hotel room tour and so long for now...

[HOTEL]

Another business trip means another hotel! And another hotel means another room tour!

For this trip I was at the JW Marriott Seoul. This hotel was fairly close to what is considered the "Gangnam" area of town. In Korean, Gangnam literally means south of the river so actually, a lot of Seoul is south of the river. The actual Gangnam neighborhood is just east of where the hotel is located. 

The hotel is actually connected to the express bus terminal, a shopping center, a department store, and a subway station. It is actually quite convenient for many things - a little shopping, eating, getting around Seoul, etc. I often would take the subway to other parts of Seoul and the subway station is what I would consider the 'bottom' of the stack. Going up one level you hit Central City, which is like a small shopping mall area complete with restaurants, a movie theater, and many shops. In fact, a recent addition was a huge UNIQLO. The next level up is the express bus terminal. The terminal itself also housed quite a few restaurants and shops...it more or less acts as an extension of Central City. Going up another level is part of Shinsegae department store. You can also access Shinsegae from Central City and the subway station I think... 

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I had a room on the 23rd floor that was very close to the elevators. I thought this would be an issue but the room was quiet enough and I wasn't even in it most of the time during the day. I would say the most impressive aspect of these rooms are the bathrooms, you can check it out in the video below.

Below is the hotel room walkthrough:

[WRAP UP]
It was a busy but fun and productive trip. I got to see my friends and I also believe the work aspect of my trip went smoothly as well. Honestly, every time I return from Korea I go right to planning my next trip back. It's a matter of finding time in my schedule as I work full time here in the USA. I also have a strong urge to continue studying Korean. I recently perused a local community college course listing but it sounds like I know or have learned almost all they offer. I believe total immersion is really the only way to effectively learn a language later in life (that is past grade school age). If I was learning here in the USA, I would never have to use Korean and would probably rarely practice it. Heck, I rarely practice now. Anyway, I hope to go back to Korea in the near future and maybe continue my language education.

Until next time...

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My Korean Autumn 2013: Day 7 - 끝!

It was Friday and the trade days of the air show had come to an end. It had been quite a busy week for me with work and trying to see as many people as possible in Korea while I was there. Add in the jet lag for the result of not much sleep and when I did get sleep it wasn't always that peaceful, restful sleep one needs on trips like this. Anyway, I believe the whole show went quite well; there was a lot going on at our booth most of the show.

After wrapping up the logistics of sending everything back to the USA that needed to go back, I headed back to the hotel. I grabbed a quick bite with one of my friends who actually works for the hotel we stayed at. And in addition to this meal, I was invited out by some colleagues for Korean BBQ as well later that evening.

Saturday and Sunday are considered the public days of the exhibition and typically most of the business/trade participants do not show up on this day. This is unless the company exhibiting has a public demo or event to show. In our case, we did not have any demonstration for the public so...it was finally time for a break!

I spent the weekend seeing my friends in Seoul and just enjoying the free time.
Saturday I splurged and ate at the hotel steakhouse/western restaurant with two of my friends. It was amazing~

I also saw the movie Thor: The Dark World which I learned is pronounced like TOE-ruh in Korean. I was confused at first when my friend said that the two American movies out were Gravity and TOE-ruh...she showed me the movie poster and it hit me..."OH! You mean Thor!"

Sunday I hopped from Hongdae to Itaewon to Anyang to see a variety of friends. It was a great day. I honestly do not get to see these friends half as much as I wish I could due to the distance...so I try to maximize every visit to Korea with seeing folks I know in country.

My time in Korea is coming to and end...next up...a wrap up and walk through of my hotel room!

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My Korean Autumn 2013: Day 3 - Seoul ADEX 2013

The main reason I was in Korea this October was a large aerospace and defense trade show called Seoul ADEX. It doesn't actually take place in Seoul but in a satellite city northwest of Seoul. The venue this year was moved from an airbase southeast of town due to construction. I had never visited this new venue before and I must say, it was quite an improvement in my opinion. The only thing was that the air demonstration part of the trade show had to take place before the actual event at another airport. Even with this change, the air demonstration/air show aspect of the show drew over 150,000 people!

I wish I would have taken more pictures of some of the humongous indoor booths. The Korean companies dominated the scene with the largest stands (booths) bathed in white walls and bright display areas. One stand even had an area for a set of those quadcopter machines that did a synchronized performance. Many of the largest stands were double-decker, often accommodating dining areas, office spaces, and meeting rooms.

If you have ever attended a car show or any other type of similar exposition. Most all of them start with a blank concrete expanse. Just an open room with nothing in it. No electrical lines run, no phone lines, plumbing, etc. All of the booths are constructed and then fed electricity/Internet/whatever from the venue. At a lot of these large international exhibitions, the booths are considered "build-and-burn". In other words, nothing is saved after the exhibition is complete (save for company products or items).

This particular show ran for four business days and two public days.

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My Korean Autumn 2013: Day 0 - Airplane!

It is October and I am off again to Korea but this time for work. My journey to the motherland should be much more comfortable as I am flying business class and even first class on my leg from Narita to Seoul. My mind set for these long haul flights is normally just to get them over with. I have flown so much over the years the actual flying does not bother me...it's mostly everything that goes with flying (security lines, waiting for baggage, waiting at immigration, etc.).

The flight from the USA to Narita was quite uneventful, I watched a few movies and slept maybe 4-6 hours total so it was not too bad.

Getting off the airplane in Narita, I had a mission! One of my Korean friends requested I look for some cosmetic products in the duty free shop for her. I'm no makeup expert so luckily I had a picture of the product to look for. I also speak about 2 words of Japanese. Thankfully the girl working in the shop spoke a moderate amount of English. I was greeted in Japanese as expected then showed the picture to her. As she was working to pronounce the name written in English she went over to a drawer and pulled out exactly what I was looking for. Great success! The product was much less than the price my friend was quoting so I was satisfied.

Another great success was being bumped to first class from Narita to Seoul. This also netted me access to the exclusive first class lounge area (quieter, less populated). After relaxing there for about an hour my co-workers and I lined up to board and off we were to Korea. I power walked my way off the plane straight towards immigration after landing because not only were all the people from Japan landing, but a very large flight from the Philippines touched down around the same time.

Long story short I had a safe and successful flight from the USA to Korea. Stay tuned for more regarding my time in the motherland.

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Fresh and Clean: Fairfield Inn & Suites Stafford Quantico

Sometimes staying at a new hotel can be stressful. Perhaps the staff isn't trained up on all the inner workings of the hotel. Maybe they haven't quite figured out how hot the water heater needs to be. Regardless, for me, I'd much prefer staying at a very new hotel than a really old one. 

I believe the Fairfield Inn & Suites Stafford Quantico is less than a year old (I could be wrong though). It still has that "new" feeling about it. The lobby is bright and easy to navigate. Entering through the main doors has the check-in counter on the left and the eating/sitting area on the right. There is a small snack shop area just left of the check-in desks.

I stayed in one of their King Guest Rooms (they also have 2 Queen bed and studio rooms available). Below is a short video tour of the room.

It had plenty of outlets and was well lit. The HVAC was kind of central...it had the below window unit but the unit was controlled by a wall thermostat. There were a variety of TV channels but I normally stick to the Food Network or Discovery Channel just for white noise as I relax or work.

If you are in the Stafford/Quantico area or need a stop-over on a road trip. I recommend this Fairfield. Free WiFi and breakfast to boot!

Until next time...

~

Oh Canada...

At the end of May I had a business trip to Ottawa, ON, Canada. Not much to write home about other than a lot of taxi rides and using their new polymer money notes.  Below is the tour of my hotel room!

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Grand Sierra Resort, Reno, NV

Once again I have returned from another business trip. This time I visited Reno, NV and stayed at the Grand Sierra Resort. I heard this particular hotel and casino has changed hands many times. Currently, the Grand Sierra is undergoing a renovation. The place I noticed this most was the very underlit shopping and amenity area on the ground floor. It was akin to walking through a dimly lit cave. Many of the store fronts were empty with the windows darkened. The few shops that were open included a coin collector store, lady's boutique, and candy shop (Yes, I'm not impressed either).  The temporary fitness center and group workout room were also located on this floor.

The hotel room I received was nice enough but again, it suffered from the lighting problem. There were no overhead lights and the lamps just were not bright enough. The windows were tinted which was fine for privacy but really limited the amount of natural daylight.

I did not gamble in the casino but everything was easy to navigate through and the cashier was easy to locate. The majority of the games here were video slot machines (reverse ATMs). There was every type imaginable and most of them had a few players at all hours. The table games were not manned until later in the day or if they were manned only a few tables had staff. 

I always felt the hotel was mostly empty, granted I was there during the middle of the week. This is also the largest hotel & casino in Reno (I think) with close to 2000 rooms and over 50 acres of property.  The parking lot alone was massive. They have a driving range, swimming pool, bowling alley, and arcade (some of the games were not working and some were old...Killer Instinct 2!).

The food was actually not that bad. I ate at a few of the onsite restaurants which didn't impress me but didn't disappoint either.

Anyway, if there's anything else you'd like to know about this place, leave me a comment!

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Back from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Having returned from Brazil about a week ago, I wish I had had more time to explore this very picturesque country. Unfortunately, I was busy with work just about the whole time I was there. I had a brief moment to walk along the beaches and enjoy some local beverages and snacks when I first arrived. Other than that...it was all work and very little play. 

The main road in front of the chain of beaches (Leblon, Ipanema, and Copacabana) in Rio is shut down to cars on Sunday to allow pedestrian traffic only. Many people were skateboarding, roller blading, and biking in addition to taking leisurely strolls in the sun. I got to watch Footvolley on the beaches which I had never seen before. Volleyball is hard enough, adding in that you can't use your hands makes it very impressive to watch.

Also on Sunday, there is what is literally called the "Hippie Fair". This is basically an open air market where locals sell a variety of handmade goods, T-shirts, and other touristy items. I didn't buy any merchandise but I did enjoy a snack from one of the food stalls. I can't remember the name of the dish but it was a fried bread with a vegetable based sauce and shrimp...it was slightly spicy. 

Walking back on the beach, you can find small refreshment huts lining the edge of the sand. Most sell a variety of beverages and snacks, including fresh coconuts. I found Brazilians are proud of their beer and I also found it is cheap (with some brands owned by the Belgians thanks to Anheuser-Busch InBev).

As usual, I have a hotel room walk through along with the views from the balconies. I'll admit, it was one of the most scenic views I've had from a hotel room.

This was my first trip to South America...and my first brush with Portuguese. Enjoy the video!

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Back from sunny Orlando

After experiencing wonderful 80 degree weather in sunny Florida I have returned to my home in the mid-Atlantic...where it is cold, rainy, and not the least bit sunny. 

Once again, I traveled for work and experienced an exposition I had never attended before.

The video below is of the hotel I stayed in. The room was huge and had a living area along with a bedroom/bathroom area.  The air conditioning unit was extremely loud. It was similar to having a big box fan constantly on. The temperature in the room never got truly cold even with the temperature setting at 60.  This is my only gripe really.  There was a free hot breakfast and Wi-Fi for guests...can't complain about that!

1st Business Trip of the Year Complete!

My first business trip of the year is complete! I didn't have to travel too far this time around. It was only about an hour drive (1.5-2 hours in traffic) away from where I live. I am normally the first in and last out during these types of business trips. Even if the event is only an hour or so away, we still need to stay on site to address any issues that pop up.  You never know how traffic will be or how quick a need has to be filled.

The hotel I stayed in this time around was a Residence Inn. I don't think I've ever stayed at one of these before. I quite liked it! They had a kitchenette complete with dish washer, microwave, refrigerator, and small stove top. It was a studio setup so the sitting area, desk, eating, kitchen, and sleeping area were combined. The bathroom area had the toilet and tub in its own room and the sink and mirror were located in the main area.

If you'd like me to continue this trend of hotel 'tours' on my travels, let me know!

Below is a video I took of my hotel room:

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On the Road Again...

This coming week I start traveling for work again. The first trip of the year only takes me about an hour's drive from where I live. I feel this trip eases me into what could be a very busy year in terms of traveling for both personal and business reasons. 

I am often asked the following:

Question:  Do you enjoy the travel that comes with your job?

Answer: I do. 

I have gotten used to being on the road, renting cars, flying, managing per diem, and sleeping in hotels. Some people love the on-the-go lifestyle, although, I've talked to some fellow business travelers that are ready to settle and stop traveling so much. At this point in my life, I don't have much screaming for my attention where I live. If I'm gone for two weeks, it's not a big deal.  

Look for some videos of hotels and venues I travel to, in the near future. 

I think I would find it hard to take a job where I didn't travel...having been in this job for almost two years...

What's your job like? Do you travel or sit at a desk day in and day out? Do you get to interact with coworkers and customers?

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Utah!

Singapore: Orchard Road

Hi! I know it's been way too long since I have posted any content but below you will find pictures from Orchard Road in Singapore. Orchard Road hosts many shopping malls and high end retail stores as well as major hotels and dining.

Singapore Airshow 2012

I realize there is no word "airshow" but that's how the organizers stylize it. I've been slow to post pictures from this trip and I'm sorry about that.  The photos I have below are mostly of a certain chalet/pavilion.  Most of the pictures from inside the exhibit and other chalets do not belong to me, therefore I'm not going to post them without proper permission.  I have a couple other series of photos I'll work on putting together.

Singapore Day 0/1: Stay Awake

I had heard Singapore was hot and humid year-round and they were right. I got on a plane where I needed a jacket and got off where I should have been in shorts and a T-shirt.  The tropical weather was nice in February though...

My accommodations in Singapore were at The Ritz-Carlton Millenia Singapore. I've posted a hotel room walkthrough down below:

I got to the hotel room that night and tried to sleep. I had said I would be going out to work around 10am that same day...so...I got about 4-5 hours of sleep due to me arriving around 4am to the hotel.  When the sun rose and I had some free time later that same day, I snapped some pictures of the gorgeous view from my room:

The next couple of days blended together due to my jet lag.  To stay awake, I went with my colleague to the Chinatown area to do some shopping and to keep our bodies moving.  We took the public subway system, dubbed the MRT.  I liken it to the subway system in Seoul, Korea...very clean, efficient, and timely :)

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Gaylord National Hotel & Convention Center

I was down at the Gaylord National for work recently.  Check out some pictures I took of the place!

Bedroom Area

Twin Sinks, I know most of my readers probably know what I look like...

I only had a shower...no tub

Entry way and Hall

The rear courtyard no one talks about 

The main atrium

Atrium again

Cloudy Day on the Potomac

View of the Potomac

Korea Day 10: Lotte and visiting the office

In the morning, my friend and I decided to pay a visit to my local office to share a cup of coffee and talk about our trip so far.  We headed downtown and easily found our way to the office high-rise.  We sat and chatted around Korea.  They treated us to lunch, see the pictures below!

Banchan and Veggies

The Spread

The Spread

Doenjang

Kimchi Jigae

Naengmyun

After lunch we hit up the LOTTE department store...

The LOTTE Department store in downtown Seoul is ginormous.  There are actually three different buildings that make up "Lotte Town".  There is the Main Hall of LOTTE Department Store (14 floors, 3 basements), AVENUEL (Premium brands, 10 floors, 3 basements), and LOTTE young plaza (Youth Fashion, 7 floors, 1 basement).  A grand total of 31 floors and 7 basements, granted some of the basements are parking but still...huge is an understatement.

The images of USA department stores like Macy's, Nordstorm, and Sears may come to mind initially.  This is sort of what you would expect in Korea.  However, in Korea it seemed the actually floors of the store did not extend outwards as far as American department stores.  They had many floors instead of a few floors with a lot of square footage (or square meters).

Some floors in LOTTE would only feature one main brand or one style (i.e. Men's Outdoor, Young Casual, Watches & Jewelry).

My friend and I went to LOTTE for really only one store.  It wasn't even a Korean brand...it's Japanese.  The brand is MUJI and they make some pretty cool, simple but elegant things for the home and office.

After making our purchases (mainly notebooks) in the MUJI section, we wandered around the 'young plaza' building until we had had our fill of fashion.  In general, the merchandise was not cheap.  The prices were very similar to prices in American department stores.

I can't remember if we did anything eventful that evening...probably not :)

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