Saturday, July 22, 2006

Waiting for the flight to London

Flights from Sri Lanka to anywhere never seem to leave at convenient times. The Oirientalists responsile for plane schedules always seem to focus on the arrival time, never the departure time. Tonight's flight leaves at 1:50, which requires an airport arrival time of about 11:00 and a departure time from Colombo of about 10:20 - I was packed early and my punctual taxi, Mt. Upali Sriwardene arrived early. Now its 1:05. The slick new business class lounge in the Colombo terminal has free wifi but I'm too exhausted to take full advantage. I just want to get on the plane and sleep!!

Kandy to Colombo - reflections on Train Travel in Sri Lanka

9 July 2006
Kandy to Colombo: Reflections in Train Travel in Sri Lanka
Once the Ceylon National Railways were the pride of South Asia. Friends have told me of their travels, as children, on immaculate comfortably appointed cars. White gloved stewards served meals on crisp linens in the dining cars.

But decades of government management have changed things. A Sri Lankan colleague, who organizes exchange programs for students from the US told me he no longer rides the trains himself. He makes students in his programs sign written statements promising that they will not travel by train. He reinforced his warnings to me with a gruesome story of a woman friend who had nearly lost a leg in a rail accident, attributed to poor maintenance. He told of a personal friend, a German rail engineer who, on four successive trips to Sri Lanka wrote detailed memoranda to the Transport Ministry documenting poor maintenance and the hazards it created.

Even in the nineteen years I have been visiting Sri Lanka, I can mark visible signs of deterioration. Rolling stock, in many instances first used in pre-independence years, seems more run down. On the Inter City Express, from Kandy to Colombo (I could not book a seat today) there used to be a snack bar car. This has been replaced by itinerant sales people offering short eats, fresh fruit and newspapers. I am somewhat reminded of Communist era trains in which I traveled in East Germany and Hungary.

Perhaps one explanation is that the prices remain low. The train trip from Colombo to Kandy costs less than the “Tuk Tuk” trip from my home away from home to the rail station, 130 Rupees (second class) for the four hour tirp.

The train trip from Kandy to Colombo must be one of the most beautiful in the world and on this trip, I was able to take full advantage, arriving 90 minutes before train time, to be assured of getting a good seat. Having made the trip many times before, I knew on which side of the car to sit. Eventually – it was standing room only.

For the first part of the trip the train moved slowly, this was not out of deference to passengers, but to safety Along the track side were crudely hand-lettered signs in read saying “15 mph – weak sleepers” or “weak rails.” But the trip passed without incident. Once out of Colombo, the quality of the roadbed and the speed of the train improved. We arrived in Colombo about 7:30. Night comes early at the equator and it was completely dark except for a full moon, occasionally obscured by grey windblown clouds.

A enterprising Tuk Tuk man was waiting outside the exit gate awaiting likely patrons. He correctly identified me as one. Cost of the 15 minute ride from Colombo Fort Station to Horton Place, in light traffic. 200 Rupees.

Republic of Maldives - First Impressions

Off to the Maldives.
The government of the Republic of Maldives, which comprises more than 300 atolls, some uninhabited, is interested in starting a university. I met two businessmen at a dinner party and they invited me for a visit to explore the possibility that American University might play a role in this endeavor. The Sri Lankan friend who introduced us, and has often spoken favorably about the Maldives development strategy, contrasting it favorably with that of Sri Lanka is joining me.

What I had heard about Maldives was the success of its government in creating a high-end tourist destination, with limited resources that include only the natural beauty of sand and sea. This too, was the impression created by the brochures, directed to audiences of tourists and potential investors. But impressions, from afar, are always incomplete.

First impressions: The airport did remind me of Bermuda, a clean, efficient, single story building, immaculate and connoting crispness and efficiency. Many of the customs officers were women, but, although the Maldives legal code is based on Sharia law, not wore the hejab. (The following morning – this morning – I saw that most women on the streets did wear headscarves.)

First surprise. We ported our bags from the terminal to a boat – not a fancy one - open and made of wood. The airport is its own atoll. To reach the city or any other part of Maldives one must travel by boat.

The image of a high-end tourist destination does not fit the people I met, my initial impressions of Male City “the smallest capital city in the world” or the hotel. My sense was that the Maldives government is providing high-end tourists with whatever they want, but treating this simply as an endeavor. There are rules and customs to keep tourists and ordinary citizens separated. It was explained to me that citizens do a period of extended service at a resort – almost like a tour of military duty, during which they return home at rare intervals. Tourists can visit Male, but cannot stay there. Probably they would not c onsider this a deprivation as the hotels are quite modest and the Muslim proscription against alcohol seems to be rigorously enforced throughout the city.

It’s off to meetings with government officials. More later.

Sunday, July 09, 2006

Cingular Wireless II - It only gets worse.. much worse!

Sunday, July 9, 2006
Nine days later things have only deteriorated, as far as Cingular is concerned. My worst imaginings - and nightmares - could not have conjured up such a bizzare scenario.

Hours of my time in Sri Lanka and my staff members’ time in Washington have been consumed to no avail. Cingular staff have provided conflicting, inaccurate information, failed to follow through, failed to contact me. I contacted an independent consultant in Sri Lanka, who verified that Cingular had failed to do what they promised to do and said they had done. What does it say about this US carrier that a Sri Lankan carrier provides service that is so markedly superior - Occidentalism?

I can’t remember when I have had more frustrating, time consuming costly experience with a commercial organization.

I have abandoned the quest for Blackberry service in Sri Lanka. This has nothing to do with Sri Lanka and everything to do with Cingular Wireless.

My Travails with Cingular Wireless

July 1, 2006
Indifferent or incompetent ‘customer service’ seems a chronic malady of our time. Thus it may be a bit unfair to single out Cingular wireless for special mention. I do so because Cingular staff members seem to have engaged themselves in making my life difficult with a particular, diabolical malice.

International travel, to Sri Lanka at least, seems to stress this organization far beyond its capabilities. In Washington, DC, my goal was simply to purchase a new Mobile Phone that might provide internet connectivity on my travels. I came to the ‘Cingular Store’ prepared to use my time and the employees efficiently. One of my talented, super competent staff members had researched the purchases – and the best place to make it – in advance. On my first visit, I got no service. The store was filled with disgruntled customers, mostly being ignored by two or three harried staff , who seemed particularly practiced in averting their eyes, shunning any human contact. One was serving a customer while, simultaneously, making a personal phone call to a friend on an earphone receiver. After a 30 minute wait I gave up, planning to return when circumstances were less crowded.

9:30 the next Monday morning was the time I chose and, indeed, I received the attention of a staff member immediately. This time the problem was not receiving attention but the quality of the attention I did receive. To make a long story short, I went through the process of purchasing a phone – twice. To complete the process, I had to personally call ‘customer service’ in the store. “Could you do this for me,’ I asked the salesperson. ‘No, you have to do it yourself,’ was the reply. When I did reach a Cingular staff member by phone, the best she could do was inform me that Cingular would not be able to provide the service promised by the salesperson, and for which I paid a premium price. After further dialogue, in which one staff member said I should try Target or Wal-Mart to find a new battery for my old phone but another searched and found one, I departed. The bottom line: 30 minutes of my staff time, 90 minutes of my time – two phones purchased and refunded and finally… a new battery for my own phone, which Cingular did provide gratis.

Happily my mobile phone coverage in Sri Lanka is not provided by Cingular, so it is functioning as advertised. The information provided to my staff member by the Sri Lankan carrier, Dialog GSM, in contrast to that provided by Cingular was accurate. Which is a good thing because the Blackberry email I was assured would work without difficulty did not work – (and, now has not worked for more than a week). Further calls by my staff elicited the information that I would need to call “international technical support,’ This is a toll call that must be made at my own expense. But my call to Cingular elicited only a taped response that ‘they were experiencing an unusually heavy volume of calls. An engineer could get back to me in four hours – not so easy to orchestrate in Sri Lanka..

Given my own experiences, I am not surprised burden is high, but I will be doing something to lighten it when I return to the US. I will be making it a priority to contract with another carrler.

Unaccustomed Luxury

June 29 2006
Over the past several years, I have often pampered myself with a business class ticket on the London – Colombo – London leg of my trip, though still flying economy on the Washington – London – Washington leg. This trip, the contrast between the two modes of travel was particularly stark. My Washington – London flight was a last resort due to full bookings, on America’s bankrupt and visibly deteriorating carrier, United Airlines. The chaotic ground service, packed seating, charges for drinks, attempts to economize, and air of cramped slovenliness in the cabin reminded me of TWA and Pan American in their final days. The understaffed crew did their best, I should add, to dole out the minimal services they were permitted to provide, with efficiency and good humor.

In London, the security lines were longer than ever. Transit took more than an a hour. But when I boarded my Sri Lankan Airlines flight (Air Lanka, too, is gone) there was a surprise in store. I was the sole passenger in the eighteen-seat business – first class cabin. I could experience the feelings of a potentate – or of President Bush on Air Force 1, minus Carl Rove whispering in my ear, and other hovering aides.

I must admit it made me feel uneasy. But, hey, I live frugally in Washington and Colombo. I had endured second-class South Asian rail conditions on United Airlines. I had not requested an entire cabin to myself.

I decided to accept these circumstances of unaccustomed luxury as a gift.

To An Athlete Dying Young

29 June 2006
To an Athlete Dying Young
When someone dies, other than from ‘natural causes,’ I often reflect on the nature of life, death and dying. When one has close ties with Sri Lanka, the opportunity comes more often than one would like. Last September, readers will remember, witnessed the death of Sri Lanka’s Foreign Minister, Lakshman Kadirgamar. He was felled by a sniper’s bullets, late one warm Colombo evening, as he walked from his swimming pool towards his house. Three days ago, General Parami Kuletunge, Sri Lanka’s Deputy Chief of Staff and several bodyguards were blown to bits along with his assailant, a motorcycle-riding suicide bomber. A pedestrian suicide bomber threw himself against the rear door of civil rights lawyer Neelan Tiruchelvam’s car, about 100 metres from where I work in Colombo, and both , along with Neelan’s driver and bodyguard perished.

This Blog’s title is from a poem by A.E. Houseman. It begins, “on the day you won the race, they cheered you through the market place…’ Some readers may remember it from a concluding scene in the film, Out of Africa – the funeral of protagonist Robert Redford, recently killed in a plane crash. Houseman’s point, that there may be worse things than to die at the height of one’s powers, especially in a noble pursuit, merits reflection.

Time to Colomb: 4:05

June 30 2006
For many years, the real time travel map, where passengers can watch a tiny plane image creeping across a topographical map, has been a feature of international travel. The transit from London to Colombo is, particularly evocative, because I have visited so many of the cities. There are the European capitals – London, Paris, Berlin, Copenhagen, Lisbon (most recently), Zagreb, Vienna, Rome, Athens, Budapest There are the major transit destinations, where familiar venues have mostly been replaced by sparkling new, inhumane, terminals – in addition to the capitals, Amsterdam, Frankfurt, and Zurich. Interestingly the maps have no political boundaries.

Flying over the Middle East, there is Teheran, where I consulted for the Imperial Government of the Shah. Muscat, where I visited students who had become influential civil servants. Dubai, long a fueling stop for Air Lanka’s ancient Lockheed L1101 jets. Then the cities of India, many now with new names, Bombay has become Mumbai. Madras has become Chennai, though Delhi remains unchanged. Who decides when a new name appears on the map, following a political upheaval. These political decisions are one more thing for top airline executives to puzzle over. They didn’t have to become involved when Ceylon became Sri Lanka. There were no real-time flight maps then – in 1970 - and I would have been hard pressed to find the island on a map.

‘Time to Colombo 3:36.’

Opening and envelope containing international plane tickets

Note - these late postings are due primarily by problems created for dormgrandpop by Cingular Wireless. Should you be considering a wireless carrier with the idea that they will provide support for international travel, you will see that Cingular advertises this. But the service provided bears no relationship to the service advertised and has been a great disappointment. I would research other options and check Consumer Reports before contracting with Cingular. Changing my service will be a priority when I return to the US.

29 June 2006
Opening an envelope containing international plane tickets
My first overseas trip – to Zurich, Hannover, through the South of France by Train and then back to Zurich brings back vivid memories. One of most vivid was when we – my wife, Jan, and I – opened an envelope from our travel agent and saw the fat packet of tickets with their distinctive red Swissair cover. With tickets in hand, we knew we were really going. Since then there have been – literally - hundreds more of these distinctive packets - bright yellow Lufthansa covers ticketing me to Frankfurt enroute to work in Berlin. The distinctive blue Pan American Globe, ticketing me on a ‘round the world’ trip that included stops in Vienna, Rome, Bangkok (for a State event with Dictator Ferdinand Marcos and his wife) Guam, Honolulu and home. The red and white TWA logo (my mother had been one of TWA’s first ‘hostesses’) ticketing a memorable graduation trip my daughter and I took to Paris, the South of France, Geneva, Paris and back to Paris. And then, beginning in 1987, many, many trips to Colombo, like this one.

Mostly paper tickets, like three of the four airlines mentioned above, are memories. And with many trips under my belt, over more than 30 years, I have become a bit jaded. But for some unexplained reason, removing a fat packet of Washington – London – Colombo tickets brought back the old feelings of adventure, as well as many of the old memories.

It was good to re-experience them.