Traveling Chemist

Singapore, Java, Kalimantan (Borneo) and Bali! October 2011

2011-11-29T07:06:00.012-06:00

As I prepare this post about my trip to Indonesia in the Fall of this year, I have just completed another trip to Kuwait (November 14 - December 2). One of the troubles with all these trips is that I find myself so BUSY, that I cannot devote all the time I used to expend in preparing almost daily posts as a trip unfolds. Instead, I now seem to be able to only issue a summary post after-the-fact .... sometimes long after the trip is concluded. This particular trip started on October 4. I flew Continental 7 from Houston IAH to Narita, Tokyo and connected to a United flight (upgraded to First Class!) bound for Singapore. On this stopover in Singapore, I elected to stay at the new St. Regis Hotel. Wonderful hotel - highly recommended!

The following Monday (October 10) I flew to Jakarta (on the island of Java) for an overnight stay. Then it was on to Balikpapan and Lawe Lawe on Kalimantan Island - or Borneo as we in the West often refer to this Indonesian island.

On Saturday (October 15) it was back to Jakarta for a week's worth of work. Part of the time on Java was devoted to a short visit to our company's geothermal facility in Salak (west Java). Very interesting: this property is located within a national park and thanks to its high elevation, there was no need to use air conditioning in the accommodations.

Finally, with all my work completed, I managed to tack on five days of pleasure and vacation in Bali (October 21 - 25). The flight home began on October 26 with an overnight stay in Singapore and then the long flight home the following day.

I shall keep this post short and will try to issue a longer, more detailed follow-up posting of this visit to Indonesia later on - probably in the latter half of this month when I plan to take off three weeks and remain at home for the Christmas Holiday (and stay away from airports!!!).

Enjoy the photos!
A rice terrace in Bali (near Ubud).

A colorful mosque near Lawe Lawe on the island of Kalimantan (Borneo).

This tea garden is located near Salak on the western side of Java. My first ever visit to an actual functioning tea garden!!!

On my 5-day layover in Singapore, I managed to visit Sentosa Island and took in the dolphin show.

More photos of this October trip should follow in a few weeks - - - - I hope!!

Singapore / Indonesia / Middle East - The Highlights of My Spring Trip (March - April)

2011-09-26T15:42:00.027-05:00

It's been a long while since I completed this trip to Asia and the Middle East. This particular trip started on March 28 (2011) with a flight from Houston to Los Angeles LAX airport (see above photo) where I boarded a Singapore Airlines flight to Singapore (my longest flight ever at over 16 hours ++ in duration; even the flight attendant complained of the length!!).

The Singapore skyline as seen from my room at the Four Seasons Hotel. Over the years, Singapore has become my favorite foreign city - it's clean, orderly, you can drink the water, eat the food and never worry about any crime. A perfect place to recover from the loooooong flight from the USA. The Four Seasons Hotel is located on Orchard Blvd., just a few short blocks from the Orchard Rd MRT station ( a 5 - 8 minute walk).

My first sightseeing objective: the Singapore Flyer! A terrific way to see the downtown skyline.

A view from the top of the Flyer. Downtown Singapore is in the background. Off to the left side is the Sands Hotel and Casino - see the following photo.

The new Sands Casino and Hotel. The hotel comprises the three columns supporting the boat like structure at the top. The casino is out of view of this picture. (PS: you need to show a passport to gain entry to the casino floor.) At the top floor is an observation deck which affords an excellent view of the city and surrounding areas.

Another favorite tourist sight: The Orchid Garden. Bring your cameras!!!

Orchids galore!! I only had a compact camera with me on this trip. On my next venture, I will try to drag along my SLR camera for much better pictures.

On Sunday, April 3rd, I flew from Singapore to Jakarta then changed planes and flew to Pekanbaru, Sumatra for a week's worth of work in north central Sumatra.

The governor's palace in Pekanbaru - the capital of Riau province. (Riau province is where a lot of Indonesia's on-shore oil production is located.)

On Monday, April 4, I flew by chopper from Rumbai to Duri (also in Sumatra) where our company's office is located.

On the 30-minute helicopter flight to Duri, we flew over a LOT of palm groves. Sadly, much of the Sumatran rain forest is being cut down, burned and replaced with palm trees to manufacture palm oil. A tragic waste of good land if you ask me.

On the way home (Friday, April 8), the local weather was poor (too smokey from all the burning of the forest) so my chopper flight was canceled and I rode a bus from Duri to Rumbai (3 hours). Along the way, we passed MANY logging trucks carrying all the trees being cut down to make way for the palm groves. Again, a tragic loss of the rain forest.

Along the road to Rumbai, the bus stopped at a rest stop next to a mosque which is under construction.

Once in Rumbai, I took a taxi to the Pekanbaru Airport and flew to Jakarta that afternoon and then headed to the Mulia Hotel. This is an Excellent hotel. Highly recommended!!! Sadly, I only stayed one night. I checked out of the Mulia Hotel the following day (a Saturday) and caught an evening flight on Emirates to Dubai.

Emirates EK 357 bound for Dubai from Jakarta.

After a two night layover in Dubai, my next stop was Dammam, Saudi Arabia. The flight to Saudi Arabia was one hour and 15 minutes BUT the wait on line at immigration in Dammam Airport was one hour and 20 minutes!!! This was followed by a mercifully short taxi ride to Saudi Aramco in Dhahran. I did not get a chance to take many interesting pictures while I was in Dhahran. Hence, nothing to share from Saudi Arabia on this short visit.

After a few days in Dhahran, I flew to Kuwait (via Doha, Qatar) for what turned out to be a three-week stay in country (working in the usual place - Wafra!). As was the case in Saudi Arabia, I was too busy to take many interesting photos on this visit. The above photo shows a new grocery store that opened up in Kuwait - LuLu's. A nice place to shop for us expats.

Finally, I departed Kuwait on May 4 and headed to Dubai.

The Dubai skyline from my room at the Emirates Hotel. The Burj Khalifa (the world's tallest building) is in the background, off to the left side of the photo, gleaming in the afternoon sun.

The next day (May 5), I flew home to Houston, TEXAS on Emirates 211. Finally I was returned to my home-sweet-home!

PS: Following this venture overseas, I had a short vacation in New York City and Upstate NY (see the prior post) in late May and then a very quick trip to Kuwait in late June (June 22 to July 1). Sadly, there were no pictures to share from that June trip to Kuwait but frankly there was so little time (too much work to accomplish) and we had a few bad sandstorms that month so I never had the inclination to get out and snap photos anyway.

Apologies for the Long Absence!

2011-06-14T07:15:00.007-05:00

Apologies to all my Loyal Followers! I have been most negligent (lazy, perhaps) in posting to my blog over the last several months. Part of the reason for this lapse in posting was caused by the fact that I did NOT haul my laptop with me during this circumnavigation of the globe. (Just too much baggage to carry along for so far a distance.) For the record, I departed Houston on Monday, March 28, flew to Los Angeles and then boarded Singapore Airlines bound for Singapore where I arrived - exhausted - after a 16 hour-50 minute flight early in the morning (5:20 am) of March 30. I checked in to the Four Seasons Hotel and proceeded to spend a blessed 5 days in Singapore, allowing myself three extra days over and above what the company normally permits as a reasonable layover. I find that the older I get, the more time I need to readjust my internal body clock to accommodate the 13 hour time shift (midnight Houston = 1 pm Singapore).

I had a wonderful time in Singapore - I took in the Singapore Flyer (see picture below) and stopped by the new Marina Bay casino. Also visited (again) the National Orchid Garden (excellent) and several local museums.

After Singapore, I flew (Sunday, April 3) to Jakarta, INDONESIA and then immediately connected to a Garuda flight to Pekanbaru, Sumatra for what turned out to be a one-week visit to our company's steamflood facility in Duri (Central Sumatra). On Friday (April 8) the smoke levels in the Sumatran rain forest proved so intense that my early morning chopper flight to turned into a three-hour bus ride to Rumbai. No problem - the ride was pleasant enough and afforded me a few picture taking opportunities. I boarded a Garuda flight that afternoon and returned to Jakarta and checked in to the Mulia Hotel in central Jakarta. This is an excellent 5-star hotel with great security. I thoroughly recommend the Mulia Hotel.

Next: On Saturday evening (April 9) I boarded my Emirates flight to Dubai and we departed on time and arrived into Dubai at about 10:45 pm Dubai time. I checked in to the Intercontinental Hotel (Festival City) and rested for two days.

Next: On Monday (April 11) I flew on Saudi Arabian Airlines to Dammam, Saudi Arabia. The flight lasted 1 hour and 10 minutes; then came the wait at Saudi Immigration!! That took one hour and 15 minutes!! Ten desks but only two Saudi immigration officers on duty! C'est le vie. I spent the next four days in Steineke Hall in Dhahran, courtesy of Saudi Aramco.

My brief stay in Saudi Arabia ended on Thursday, April 14 when I flew (via Doha, Qatar) on Qatar Airways to Kuwait for three weeks of work in Wafra Field (inside the Kuwaiti portion of the Partitioned Zone). I departed Kuwait on Thursday, May 5. After an overnight rest stop in Dubai, I flew home to Houston aboard Emirates 211 on Friday, May 6th.

PS: I managed a short (9-day) vacation in the New York City area from May 19 to May 27. I visited a long-time friend in Long Island; met up with another long-time friend that Saturday and the three of us took in Billy Elliot ($135 per person!!) at a theater on 45th St. This was an excellent play by the way! Then a few days in upstate New York followed by a return home from LaGuardia Airport that following Friday (May 27).

And there you have it!

I will endeavor to post some memorable pictures of my journeys as soon as possible. Frankly, my life has become quite hectic recently and I find precious little time to manage this blog. I hope my followers will please be patient during these seemingly long absences of mine!

More Kuwait, Then to Abu Dhabi - Finally, Home for the Holidays!!

2011-01-17T12:39:00.030-06:00

Photo: Jumeirah Emirates Tower Hotel

Dubai, UAE

Finishing Up in Kuwait -

First: My sincere apologies to all my Loyal Followers for the loooooong absence!! There were several reasons for my not blogging regularly over the past two months: (a) too much work (!!); (b) an injury (I encountered some barbed wire in the desert outside Abu Dhabi); and (c) 32 days of blessed vacation at home in Houston for the Christmas and New Year Holidays.

Herewith I present some highlights of the last half of my stay in Kuwait (I flew in from Dubai on October 28 and departed Kuwait on November 27). Then some pictures from my first ever visit to Abu Dhabi (one of the seven Emirates in the UAE - a short 1-1/2 drive overland from Dubai).

About mid-way into my stay in Kuwait, I visited the new "360 Mall". The mall is located at the intersection of Highway 60 and the 6th Ring Road. There are plenty of 'high-end' or luxury stores!!!

Life With Cacao: Located inside the 360 Mall, this cafe was a real find!! I spent 2 KD for a heavenly hot chocolate (ca. $7.00 USD!).

The skyline of downtown Kuwait City .... note the distinctive telecommunications tower near the left side of the photo.

GREAT NEWS: The Starbucks in Al Zour is reopening!!! Followers of my blog may recall when this place opened - then shut after a short two-month run. Something about a licensing issue?? Anyway, they were cleaning the store and restocking the place. It should be open by now!!! .

MY TRIP TO ABU DHABI (from November 27 to December 2):

I flew to Abu Dhabi from Kuwait International Airport on November 27 (only a 1-1/2 hour flight). My first 'tourist attraction' was Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque. A 'must-see' for any tourist!!! And it's free - no admission fee!

I took a desert 'safari' on November 29. One problem: I stumbled on a strand of barbed wire while viewing some camels, tore up my pants and received two cuts to my legs. (I visited a local clinic later that night for cleaning the wounds and a tetanus shot!!)

Once my work in Abu Dhabi was concluded and the 3-day conference ended (at which yours truly was a speaker), I managed to play 'tourist' and visited the Emirates Palace Hotel. Clearly this hotel is THE place to be in Abu Dhabi! Friends told me this hotel was where they filmed Sex and the City 2. However, that fact turns out NOT to be true - the film was in fact shot in Morocco. Nevertheless, this place is definitely worth a visit. In fact so many folks were wondering through the hotel and shooting pictures that I felt at ease. Too bad I could not stay at this place (the rate is a tad too rich for my company's expense account limit!). Just take a look at these photos:

The front entrance to the Emirates Palace Hotel ...........

The lobby of the Emirates Palace Hotel ....

The grand staircase ...................

I decided to indulge in a hot chocolate at the lobby cafe and watch the passers-by imagining myself as being one of the local sheikhs!!

I kid you not! This photo is no fake - there is actually a vending machine for gold bars of varying size and value to suit one's budget!! I suppose this convenience is aimed at all those sheikhs with 'disposable income'!! You would never know there is a world-wide recession going on .....

And this was my humble abode during my 5-day stay in Abu Dhabi. The Rotana Beach Hotel, located in the middle of waht I'd call the city center. Nice enough - although a tad lower on the economic food chain that the Emirates Palace Hotel!

An interesting building under construction - whatever it is for I know not!

I spotted this at a supermarket in the Abu Dhabi Mall adjacent to my hotel. Can you imagine anyone needing to purchase a 5 kg (11 pound) sack of tea???!!!

This aptly summarizes how I was feeling on December 2! I contracted with a driver who drove me from Abu Dhabi to Dubai. Turns out December 2 was a national holiday - it was the 39th anniversary of statehood for the UAE!

After the 1-1/2 hour drive, I checked into the Emirates Tower Hotel (see the picture at the top of this posting) and enjoyed my final night in the UAE. The following morning, December 3, I flew Emirates 211 from Dubai to Houston! Only 14 hours of flight time!

I arrived home in Houston on December 3 and after three days of work the following week, I took off 32 days of vacation for Christmas and New Years Day! And I am pleased to report there was absolutely no travel at all during my time off!!

To all my followers/readers: Happy New Year!!!

Your comments are most welcome:

Return to Kuwait

2010-11-19T08:00:00.014-06:00

Photo: Whatever this iis, it's in downtown Kuwait City. I call this the "corkscrew" building! Not sure who owns it but it sure looks strange!!

Apologies for not posting sooner but I have been so swamped with work, that I could not take time out to tend to my blog. I arrived into Kuwait three weeks ago on October 29 and have been blessed with such amazing weather - no sand storms and no excessive heat. Just sunny and cool/warm weather all the time ... so far!

The first two work weeks (October 31 to November 4 and November 7 to 11) were devoted to meetings and to an SPE (Society of Petroleum Engineers)Oil Conference where yours truly presented a technical paper in front of about 140 people. Thankfully the audience was most receptive and asked many questions. The venue was the Hilton resort in Mangaf, Kuwait. A nice, seaside resort complex.

This past week was devoted to the Islamic Eid Holiday!! The Eid Holiday is actually only about three days in length but the company decided to give everyone off the entire week! I, however, was in the office most of the week. However, I did mange to take off early each day and head into town a few times to enjoy lunch at some local restaurants and take in the scenery.

Just a personal note: like on all my prior visits to Kuwait, I find the local people most friendly and the overall atmosphere quite accepting of Westerners such as myself. Despite the fact that America has a bad reputation amongst Muslims worldwide, the Kuwaitis can differentiate between America and Americans - such as myself. Although they may not like my country's political policies, Kuwaitis have generally been welcoming and hospitable to me during all my travels here in this country.

And now some pictures taken during the past three weeks:

A new unusual building in downtown Kuwait City - about an hour's drive north from where I am housed in Mina Al Zour.

Lots of new buildings springing up on the way into town. These are on Highway 40 ....

Another interesting building ....

Part of the skyline in downtown Kuwait City.

Always need to slow down when passing camels along the road to work in Wafra!!!

I could not resist taking this picture. I had lunch at the TGI Friday's restaurant in Fintas and this place was next door. Nowadays, with everyone being so health conscious, you'd think a name such as this would be avoided!! I Binged the name "Fat Burger" and sure enough there is actually a chain of burger joints in the USA under this name!! Yuk! THE last thing I need in my body is more fat! Couldn't they have thought of another name??!!

Eid Mubarak - Arabic for Happy Eid Holiday!!

Dubai and The Burj Khalifa: The World's Tallest Building

2010-11-07T05:37:00.015-06:00

Photo: The Burj Khalifa - the world's tallest building.

I am pleased to report that I had a smooth flight from Houston last week. I departed Houston's IAH Airport on Tuesday, Oct. 26 aboard Emirates 212 (Business Class, thankfully!!). We landed in Dubai after exactly 14 hours of flight time. In precisely one hour I was in my room at The Address Hotel - one of the newest hotels in Dubai. Despite what you hear about the financial crisis, hotel rooms in Dubai still are extremely high-priced! Including the 10% tax and 10% service charge, my room cost me about $425 PER NIGHT! I chose this hotel because it was right next to the world's tallest building - the Burj Khalifa. There are reported to be 160 floors total in this building. Visitors can only ascend as high as the 124th floor where there is an open air and an enclosed / air conditioned observation deck. Amazing views abound. The ride up takes only 60 seconds and costs 100 Dirhams (about $27 USD). Unless you are afraid of heights, I recommend this attraction. Book early in the day as time slots fill up fast. I purchased my ticket at 10 am and waited until 12 noon for my assigned time to ride the elevator up. I used the 2 hours strolling through the Dubai Mall to which my hotel is literally attached.

Some photos of my short (two-day) visit to Dubai are presented below. Enjoy - and PLEASE take some time to comment and share your thoughts!!

The Address Hotel
(my room was on the 28th floor)

The Gold Souk (market) at the Dubai Mall, adjacent to my hotel.

Bloomingdales!!

My mother's favorite store. When I was growing up in the BRONX (New York City), I shopped at Bloomingdales in New Rochelle so many times.

Emirates 212: Houston to Dubai in 14 hours.

Believe it or not, this is Baggage Claim at Dubai Airport's Terminal 3. Probably the fanciest baggage claim one will ever encounter anywhere!

Autumn at Home - But Getting Ready to Travel!

2010-10-23T08:26:00.006-05:00

Autumn in Houston! The high temperatures of the summer have vanished - mostly. The humidity is lower and the Holidays are approaching. And, after spending a month at home-sweet-home, I must soon pack up my suitcase and get ready to travel overseas yet again.

Earlier this week I attended a meeting on the 40th floor of one of our company's two downtown buildings. This building has a history behind it: about a decade ago, Ken Lay and Jeff Skilling ran Enron from this same building and these two crooks had their executive offices on the same floor as where I took this picture of the Houston skyline. Naturally their offices are long gone (as is the company Enron which went bankrupt many years ago forcing the layoffs of hundreds of good employees). After my company bought up the former Enron headquarters building (reportedly for a fraction of its original cost and with some tax abatements thrown in by the city of Houston), we redesigned the entire building. Now the 40th floor is used only for meeting rooms. Still, this floor offers a vantage point which gives visitors one of the BEST views of downtown Houston anywhere! And to think that Enron conducted all its financial scams from this same floor just a few short years ago, well, its an amazing turn of events.

Fall in Houston! Yes, the above photo may appear to be a little silly but the it is the best I can come up with on short notice. I mean it to represent the changing of the seasons and the approaching end to yet another year that has simply FLOWN by so fast!

As always, thanks for following my blog and please take time to leave comments!

In a few days I expect to leave home again and hope to resume posting from that location as time permits. Until then, happy travels!

My Trip Home From Africa - Epilog

2010-10-11T11:43:00.011-05:00

It's been almost three weeks since I returned home from Angola. Jet lag is but a distant memory and I simply wanted to share with you the details of the looooong road home. If you compare this blow-by-blow account of my trip home with last year's account of my trip home you will see it was a virtual carbon copy (apology to my younger readers who may not know what the term 'carbon copy' means!!). The main reason I do this (and risk boring some of my loyal followers) is to allow visitors a view of what it often takes to travel to and move around inside countries such as Angola. Please don't mistake my tone. I like the country of Angola - but the infrastructure is still rather rudimentary such that getting from Point A to Point B can be a challenge to the novice traveler. A reader of this blog and fellow world traveler - RON - mentioned he would like to visit Angola. Fine idea, Ron, and anyone else thinking of traveling to Angola. But .... BE PREPARED!! Every traveler needs help getting around inside Angola. Simply showing up and taking a taxi can be a risk. Security remains a concern. Still, if one can have a certain degree of patience and can arrange to have a trusted person on the ground in Angola to assist them with their travels, then Angola truly can offer opportunities for the first time visitor. Just remember, most visitors are business people and expats working in Angola. There are very FEW tourists. That may change as the country stabilizes and recovers from the civil war that began in 1975 after independence from Portugal and ended in 2001.

At any rate, for the record, here is the hour-by-hour account of this year's trip from Malongo to home-sweet-home:

Tuesday, September 21, 2010:

12:25 pm - Depart my dormitory; a friend drives me to "Hotel Malongo" where we go thru bag checks and immigration control.

1:05 pm - get on line for the bus to take us to the Cabinda Airport.

1:45 pm - depart Malongo and head to Cabinda Airport.

2:45 pm - arrive at Cabinda Airport. Smooth check in and security clearance.

3:08 pm - AMAZING! Practically no waiting - we board our brand new DASH 8 plane.

3:20 pm - wheels up, up and away!!!

4:15 pm - land in lovely Luanda, the capitol of Angola. Standing besides our plane on the tarmac, we collect our luggage (suitcase and carry on) and lug it all onto a bus that takes us to the domestic terminal. We disembark from the bus and hurriedly scramble with our stuff thru the terminal then wind our way through a parking lot, across a street where we then divide ourselves up and pack ourselves into several small vans.

4:50 pm - Arrive at the International Terminal. Get on line at Atlas Air. Check in starts at 5:30 pm so we sit around and wait and wait until the line starts moving.

6:15 pm - I am at the head of the line waiting to check in. Guess what. Computer is down (naturally!). After 20 minutes, the check in process resumes and I FINALLY receive my boarding pass! Clear immigration, security and the financial police! Head upstairs to the business class lounge.

6:50 pm - in the Business Class lounge. Hey, this is a nice place - really! Well air conditioned and plenty of snacks and drinks and the rest room is clean!

8:05 pm - we head downstairs to our Gate 1. Get on another line; go thru security (AGAIN) and then .... more waiting.

8:30 pm - still at Gate 1 waiting .... and waiting ....

8:50 pm - YIPPEE!! We board the bus that takes us to the flight.

9:00 pm - I am in my seat.

9:30 pm - the door to the plane (a new 747) closes.

9:42 pm - wheels up! We're off!!

Wednesday, September 22, 2010:

5:45 am (Houston time = 11:45 am Luanda time) - we land at Bush IAH Airport in Houston, Texas.

6:45 am - we depart the Houston airport and head home.

7:42 am - HOME SWEET HOME!!! I unpack and after over 24 hours of continuous travel I crawl into my own bed for some badly needed sleep!! End of trip!!!

Malongo Base; Cabinda, Angola .......Work, Work and More Work!!

2010-09-25T17:14:00.009-05:00

Photo: The ubiquitous fruit bats. Hundreds everywhere!!

Don't misunderstand me. I like my job. However, when I work 12 hours a day each and every day (half day for Sunday), life gets a tad tiring! I am amazed at the people here. They have a tremendous work ethic. No slackers here! Some get to work at 4:30 am and knock off for the day at 8 pm!! And then do it all over again the following day .... for a total of 28 days per 'hitch'. Such is the life of a "rotator" - someone who works a rotational assignment wherein they toil for 28 days and then have off for 28 days (at their home, wherever in the world their home may be!). I, however, am just a visitor who is here for 'only' 15 days. I used to work in Kwanda Base way back in 1998. (FYI: Kwanda Base is in Soyo, in Northeastern Angola, just across the River Zaire - about 50 miles south of Malongo Base.) Now I seemed to have lost my physical stamina and the ability to stick it out for a full 28 days. Two weeks is enough for this aging person!! On my trip last year (see the post I placed in this blog from April - May, 2009), I was not as stressed out because I and my colleague then did not have to work such a robust schedule.

Ah well, enough complaining .... herewith some pictures from my trip to Malongo Base.

The residences here in Malongo are basic - nothing plush. Small beds, TVs, some rooms have refrigerators (not my room, however) and all rooms are usually well air conditioned.

Monkeys abound. Along with other critters.

Lest you think Malongo is inhabited only by American expats, guess again! Most who work here are Angolan, of course. However, there is a healthy representation of people from many other countries.

On September 15th, my colleague and I had a trip offshore to one of our company's oil platforms. Our commute was in one of these small helicopters (The "HM" logo stands for 'Helio Malongo').

Aboard the chopper, aproaching the oil production platform for a day's worth of work.

The new Cabinda Airport. We departed here on September 21 after the long, tiresome and quite convoluted trip home that began at 12:30 pm local time and ended at 7:40 am Houston time the following day (Sept. 22) - about 24 hours of travel!!! PS: You will note the striking similarity between the Angolan flag and the flag of the former USSR (with the hammer and sickle). This was a result of the time when Angola was a nominally socialist country. Nowadays, however, Angola is pro-West with a largely pro-market oriented economy. The country is blessed with natural resources: diamonds in the NE part of the country and oil production from offshore oil fields.

The start of our looooong trip home.

Cabinda, ANGOLA (West Africa)

2010-09-12T10:47:00.009-05:00

Greetings from West Africa! I departed Houston on Labor Day (some Holiday for me!!) aboard Atlas Air (flight 5Y100). It was wheels up at 11:08 am CDT and we landed in Luanda, Angola at about 6:55 am Angola time (12:55 am Houston time) - a mere 14 hours of flying time! Groan!! Then a one hour flight to Cabinda at 10:45 am followed by a one-hour bus ride into Malongo camp and then at 1:30 pm local time I staggered into my room and collapsed into bed for a short rest and then a shower.

It's been an extremely busy work week for The Traveling Chemist. We work 12 hour days here - every day - with only a half day off on Sundays (like today, Sept. 12th). I shall post more later on during my visit to Malongo camp but wanted to share a few pictures of this particular trip with my loyal followers right now. Enjoy!!

A brand new soccer stadium here in Cabinda built in time for the recent soccer games in Africa.

A local swimming hole we passed by on the way from Cabinda airport to Malongo.

My flight to Luanda. Atlas Air is a cargo / freight airline company and this is their first venture into carrying passengers. I'm happy to report that the flight departed on time and the food served aboard was perfectly fine.

My flight route from Houston, Texas to
Luanda, ANGOLA >>>>>>>>>>

Have New Passport, Will Travel

2010-08-21T16:40:00.011-05:00

Well, it has finally happened! The Traveling Chemist needs a NEW passport. No, my old passport hasn't expired. In fact, there are still two (2) years left in its 'life'. The problem is that I am running out of passport pages needed for visa stamps (more on this later). As I have done twice before, I simply attempted to add new pages into my passport book. No problem - - - or so I thought! I head off to my local Post Office, ask for the official form to add pages and then mail in my passport. Problem: the form was OLD and gave an incorrect address PLUS the form incorrectly stated that there was no fee for adding new pages to a passport. In fact, the fee is now $82.00. So - after ten days of waiting - my passport is returned in the mail with no pages and a form for submitting it again but this time to a different mailing address. So, after paying the $82.00 USD fee along with a $60.00 "Expedited Service" fee, I mail off the passport a second time - to the correct address! Sadly, however, my passport was returned to me yet again with NO EXTRA PAGES ADDED! A form letter stated that my passport was 'damaged' and hence no further pages could be added. Now what to do?? With time running out, I head to the local Department of State office in downtown Houston (what I should have done the first time!) and plead (beg) for additional pages. The clerk politely informed me that since there was a small tear along the spine of the passport book, they indeed were no longer able to add any more pages and my ONLY option was to request a whole new passport book! Sooooooooo, after paying $170 USD ($110.00 for the new passport and $60.00 for Expedite Service), I hand over my old passport and I am assured the new book will be mailed to me in no more than one week's time. I must admit, I went to the Department of State office with some trepidation, expecting terribly looooong lines of people along with a long wait. However, I was most pleased to report there were no lines at all and that the clerks were pleasant and helpful. And - most importantly - I did indeed receive my new passport in the US mail in exactly one week time!

Why suddenly all this fuss, you may ask? Well, the country I hope to visit next month insists on having four (4) contiguous pages in a traveler's passport book in order for the consulate to issue a visa. Since my old passport only had three blank pages available, well, what else could I do but try and add more pages. And THAT is what led to this mess! At any rate, I finally have my new passport (complete with electronic data chip embedded inside the front cover and in the larger edition format with 48 pages!!). For one week, my new passport was in the consulate of the country to which I hope to travel next month awaiting issuance of my visa (along with two 2-inch sized color pictures of yours truly with my shirt collar buttoned up to my neck, no logos on my shirt and no necklace around my neck .... all as mandated by the consulate's curious rules!). I now have my visa and so the road is clear for my next trip abroad. Until then ....

Galveston - Life Returns Two Years After Hurricane IKE

2010-07-29T09:58:00.016-05:00

GALVESTON'S

LOST

OAK TREES

It has been almost two (2) years since Hurricane Ike blew through Galveston, Texas (about a 65-mile drive from where I live in Houston). Much of Galveston was a mess. Naturally, the worst part were the many homes and businesses that were destroyed and the effect that destruction had on people's lives. What many of us never realized, however, was the devastating effect the accompanying winds (over 120 mph or about 200 kph) had on the many oak trees on this island community. I recently learned that there is an accomplished artist who has carved (and I presume still is at work) many wonderful wood sculptures using the remains of the many oak tress that were felled by Hurricane Ike. The trees may have been destroyed, but wherever there was enough of a tree trunk remaining, that is where this amazing wood carving artist went to work. On a recent Friday (July 16 to be exact), the weather in Houston was perfect - no rain in sight - and I was reluctant to work that day so I chose instead to declare one day of vacation and drove down to Galveston Island and took in as many of these works of art as I could locate. Herewith I present some selected photos of some of the more unusual carvings. ENJOY ....

Each branch was painstakingly carved into a bird!

This remaining tree stump was transformed into a mermaid. And the house alongside this tree carving was quite beautiful!

Even small tree stumps provided just enough wood with which to carve out an angel .....

The tin man (from the movie, The Wizard of Oz) ..............

One of the few surviving oak trees in all its glory. I am fairly certain that each of these trees must be over a hundred years in age.

And after a morning of tree viewing, I walked through parts of Galveston's west-side "Historic District". I hadn't been to Galveston in several years and I was amazed at how many of the old homes (many no doubt destroyed by Hurricane Ike) have been lovingly restored to their former glory. If you are ever in the Houston metropolitan area, please take a few hours the visit Galveston!! And bring your camera!

A picture perfect row of restored homes awaits you in Galveston's Historic District.

World's Largest Flower!

2010-07-22T15:12:00.010-05:00

Another in a series of posts that I occasionally make when I am at home-sweet-home and NOT traveling!

Almost two weeks ago, I visited the Houston Museum of Natural Science to witness the blooming of what is described as the world's largest flower. [This particular plant species, which scientists call Amorphophallus Titanum, is a native to the rainforests of Sumatra, Indonesia.] The problem for me, however, was that when I visited the museum (Friday, July 9) the flower had not yet fully bloomed. Well, it is now - finally - starting to open up.

This flower is on display in the Butterfly exhibit ($8.00 USD admission price) which is located within the Houston Museum of Natural Science.

UPDATE (JULY 27th): Well, the flower has finally bloomed and is now, sadly, all gone. A final picture of the flower was captured. There were plenty of webcams showing the progress of the flower's growth. Now that the flower has bloomed, it is entering a dormant state and may re-bloom in several years. Maybe! While it was blooming over this past weekend, it reportedly smelled like rotting flesh!

Happy Fourth of July

2010-07-04T21:39:00.003-05:00

To all my fellow Americans - I wish you a Happy Fourth of July!

FYI: I flew to Frankfurt from Dammam, Saudi Arabia, on June 22nd and then home to Houston on June 23rd. After the usual one week to recuperate from jet-lag, I finally am caught up on chores .... although my expense report is still pending! We had a ton of rain last Friday, but I managed to drive home without getting caught in high water - a fear we Houstonians always have to watch out for especially during thunderstorms. As always, it's great to be home - sweet - home.

Next Stop - Saudi Arabia

2010-06-19T08:43:00.017-05:00

On Thursday (June 17), I flew Gulf Air 214 from Kuwait to Bahrain. Thankfully my flight arrived in Manama right on time at 12:15 pm. I collected my luggage, cleared customs and then met my driver and we were off to the King Fahad Causeway which connects Bahrain to Saudi Arabia. At the Saudi border, I was fingerprinted and photographed and then cleared Saudi customs after which time we continued on our way into Dhahran. It took exactly one hour and twelve minutes to get to my destination where I checked into Steineke Hall - the main guest residence facility here in the Saudi Aramco camp.

One of the highlights of my 5-day visit was a trip to Udhailiyah - a work/residence camp that Saudi Aramco maintains in the southern area of Saudi Arabia.

Along the way to Udhailiyah, I spotted several interesting rock formations called jebels. Basically these are areas of soft rock worn away by continual sandblasting by the blowing sand.

Again, these are all made from soft rock and hence these shapes shift from time to time.

Meanwhile, back in Dhahran, headquarters to the Saudi Arabian Oil Company, or Saudi Aramco as it is commonly called, the above home shows how the family residences in Dhahran look. This particular home once housed one of the more famous engineers who worked with me during the many trips I took to the Kingdom between 1989 and 1995.

The Dhahran residential area is like a slice of middle-America transplanted to the desert here in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia. I may have alreday said this in a prior posting but I'll say it again - Saudi Aramco can be a great place to work if you don't mind being in the Middle East and if you possess the technical skills needed.

As we left the Bahrain Airport and headed into Saudi Arabia, we made our way through traffic in downtown Manama (the capital of Bahrain) and passed the new World Trade Center building complex (right next to the old Sheraton Hotel).

Another unusual looking building (next to the World Trade Center).

A poster along the highway shows the current monarch, the King of Bahrain.

I bid a fond farewell to Kuwait last Thursday (June 17) as my driver took me along Highway 40 towards the Kuwait International Airport. I hope to return sometime later this year.

Second Weekend in Kuwait (June 11 & 12)

2010-06-14T03:54:00.009-05:00

My weekend started with a refreshing swim in the Arabian Gulf where the water temps are around 30 deg C this time of year. This water may seem warm at first but in comparison to the daytime air temperatures of 50 deg C (122 deg F!!!), a dip in the Gulf is GREAT! A far cry from the ultra-chilly beach water in Northern California! Then my driver picked me up at 9 am and we drove to Salmiyah. Along the way on Highway 30, we passed an unusual looking building (pictured above).

The Marina Mall - opened in 2002. A great place to shop and hang out in. My favorite place is the Starbucks where I can sit and sip my decaf Americano (1 KD = $3.45 USD) and watch the people go by.

The Sultan Center (this store is located in Salmiyah) - the expat's favorite grocery store in Kuwait. They have all the familiar items available in America, albeit at 2 - 3 times the price back home.

If you ever get to thinking that your job "sucks", well, have I got a job for you! Every week, these guys show up in back of my apartment with their truck and literally suck out the contents of the cess pool (basically, a week's load of toilet flushings).

So what's in the 'cess pool' you ask? Just stand nearby and you'll recognize the odor!!! As we would say when we were kids, "Pee-U"!!

Last, but not least, when I stayed in the bachelor apartments last year, I regularly fed several kitties my food leftovers. It appears that these cats are still living in the area because they come to my apartment each and every morning and evening looking for more handouts!

First Weekend in Kuwait: June 4 & 5

2010-06-06T04:26:00.008-05:00

What can I say, my itinerary is often dictated by my stomach! The high point of this past Friday (June 4th) was lunch at Riccardo's, the Italian restaurant located on the first floor of the Sheraton Hotel in downtown Kuwait City.

And the meal I had was hammour - an excellent white fish caught locally in the Arabian Gulf. (Cost: 16.8 KD = $58 USD)

The hallway by the front desk at the Sheraton is quite ornate and beckons all guests, welcoming them in from the 110+ deg F (43 deg C) heat outside.

An unusual looking building in downtown Kuwait City. Not sure what this building is for.

Sorry to bore you with this seemingly trivial detail but one of the chores I have to run along with any run into the city is my weekly stocking up of groceries. I bring along an ice chest (and ICE) to protect and preserve my food from the blistering heat inside the car's trunk (or 'boot' as the Brits might say). Today's haul cost me 21.38 KD or about $74 USD (60 Euros).

Some good news to report!! I have been informed that our local Al Zour Starbucks may be opening up in a week or so. The Starbucks located along Highway 40 near the Al Zour turnoff was closed down by the Kuwaiti authorities over one year ago because the owner apparently had no official license. Or so the story goes. I just hope they open this Starbucks real soon!! Dozens of us expats will be pleased!!

Return to KUWAIT; Summer Sunshine

2010-06-03T07:26:00.008-05:00

Photo: A reflection of my plane taxiing towards the

main runway at Frankfurt Airport

I boarded LH 636 at 3:40 pm local time on June 1 and it was wheels up at precisely 4:30 pm. We landed in Kuwait at 10:23 pm Kuwait time (one hour ahead of Frankfurt) - almost 5 hours flying time. Outside temperature = 39 deg C (102 deg F)!! After a one hour drive to my company's camp, I arrived at my local residence at 12:10 am - extremely tired (one of the down sides to international travel!!).

A map on board my flight showing the route we took to Kuwait.

My last legal drink prior to arriving in Kuwait (Kuwait is officially a "dry" country): a South African white wine. Very nice.

After a few days of work and getting caught up on my jet lag, I will endeavor to make more postings from over here. Stay tuned .... and please keep those comments coming!

On the Road Again!!

2010-05-31T09:24:00.006-05:00

Well, here I go again!! Another international business trip. As has been the case many times before on prior trips, I'd much prefer taking an alternate airline (Emirates, Qatar, etc.) but our corporate discount with Lufthansa wins out every time - it would appear - and their air fare is lower than the fares for any other airline. Hence, I am obliged to fly Lufthansa. It's OK, mind you, but the airline rates no higher than "satisfactory" in my humble opinion. Average service and remarkably poor food (I already suffered from what I will delicately call "the runs" as a result of last night's dinner delight! Yuk!). But, hey, at least they got me here. My flight - LH 441 - departed Houston almost on time (10 minutes late, actually) and arrived at 9:25 am local time (also ten minutes late). By 10:30 am I was on the way to my hotel room for some badly needed rest.

Now I sit comfortably housed in the Sheraton Hotel adjacent to Terminal 1-B. Unlike the airline Lufthansa, Sheraton is familiar with the term "customer service". When I checked in at the front desk (10:15 am local time), the receptionist gave me an upgrade to the hotel's "Towers" wing. Nicer rooms, free meals and free Internet. Nothing like giving a tired traveler a break every now and then. Now if I can just get a GOOD NIGHT'S SLEEP tonight!!!!

For dinner, I enjoyed a meal of asparagus! That's right, asparagus is in season here in Germany. So I had asparagus soup, followed by an entree consisiting of 250 grams of white asparagus accompanied by roasted bass. After this fine meal, I sampled a little DISARONNO liqueur ... mmm-mmmm good!!

The view of one of the many runways from my room at the Sheraton Hotel.
Once I arrive at my destination and get a chance to rest and get caught up on my work, I will start posting again.

UPDATE (June 1): I made it through the night OK, had breakfast and now I am resting and waiting for my onward flight later this afternoon. I shall allow about one hour to check in, go through security (whihc can be time consuming nowadays) and then head up to Lufthansa's Business Class lounge. Ta ta for now ....

PS: Please leave as many comments as you can make time for. I'd really like to receive your thoughts on the current state of my blog.

Final Lecture Tour: Billings, Montana plus Cody and Gillette, Wyoming

2010-05-24T08:32:00.015-05:00

I had the honor of making yet another series of lecture presentations. Sadly, however, this was my final lecture tour for the 2009 - 2010 season. The trip started on May 10 with an on-time flight (thru Salt Lake City Airport) to Billings, Montana. (My last visit to Montana had been to West Yellowstone in 1985.) I had a total of 27 attendees for my noon presentation on May 11. I wish I had more time to tour the area but I was on a tight schedule and had to move on ...

The above photo shows the center of Billings.

The event was followed by an enjoyable 2-hour drive (in a rented Chevy Tahoe) from Billings to Cody, Wyoming.

Although I stayed in the Cody Holiday Inn (comfortable yet unremarkable), I was told to have breakfast at the Irma Hotel (pictured above). I had a thoroughly delicious meal featuring two HUGE pancakes!

The highlight of my stay in Cody (that is, other than my May 12 evening lecture which attracted 22 attendees) was a three-hour visit to Cody's renowned Buffalo Bill Historical Center - shown above. For the admission price of only $13.00, I was able to take in five separate museums all rolled into one! I highly recommend this place!!!

William Cody - nicknamed "Buffalo Bill" Cody. The man for whom the city is named.

Annie Oakley, an expert markswoman! (Originally named Phoebe Ann Moses.) Annie appeared in Buffalo Bill's "Wild West" show which toured the USA and parts of Europe from about the mid-1880's up until about 1913 (when the soon-to-start World War I had people distracted).

Last stop - Gillette, Wyoming. Only a dozen folks showed up for my 45 minute lecture on the evening of May 13. The reason: the weather was so nice, it was said everyone was outside running errands, camping, etc. Still, the following morning (May 14) I was able to take in the Rockpile Museum - an interesting little museum set up by the county - and then visit one of America's best known National Monuments ......

The Devil's Tower National Monument! This gem is about a 1-1/4 hour drive east of Gillette. Well worth the trip. The rain, which had hung over central Wyoming most of the week, had cleared away and this happily made for some absolutely fabulous picture taking opportunities! By the way, this is where they filmed the movie Close Encounters of the Third Kind about thirty years ago.

And last but not least, I am happy to report that ALL my flights were on time!! A thoroughly enjoyable experience!!!

PS: By the way, I recommend the above book to anyone who loves to travel. Thankfully my trips abroad have never involved the sorts of hassles encountered by Greg Mortenson (the author) in his efforts to build schools in Central Asia. This book is a great read.

Art Car Parade - May 8, 2010

2010-05-18T11:15:00.022-05:00

Houston held its annual Art Car Parade about two weeks ago. I had not attended last year's events but I managed to get to downtown and witness the usual crazy looking vehicles. There were some repeats but most were new entries. Almost three hundred cars in all!!

In addition to the unusual looking cars, I managed to capture some pictures of several fetching young ladies. There was a reason for this actually! I only carried a 100 - 40 mm lens along with my Canon 50D SLR camera this time. This turned out to be too close-up of a telephoto lens and as a result I could not capture a wider view of the many cars that passed by my spectator location (corner of Bagby and Allen Parkway). Hence, I was unable to properly photograph many of the cars. So my back up plan was to photograph close-up views of several of the interestingly dressed ladies that accompanied the vehicles. I hope you still can enjoy the photos of those few cars I managed to photograph as well as the women who participated in this year's Art Car Parade.

By the way, the picture above was particularly striking - both becuase I managed to get a clear focus and I also managed to compose the shot properly and - obviously - the subject looked quite nice! Hopefully Dan Denardo can comment. He runs a fine blog displaying his excellent photography.

The dragon car ....

The Dog Car .....

And the many women in this year's parade. Here is what I shall call the Zebra Lady! Followed by many, many more fine looking ladies ....

The 'stars' of the parade were Houston's Mayor, Annise Parker, and the parade's honoree, Dan Aykroyd.

The lead vehicle in this year's parade - the same car and the same woman as in 2008!!!

PS: Don't forget, I'd much appreciate any and all comments!!

Texas Wildflower Season

2010-05-01T19:52:00.013-05:00

Well, I suppose I should file this posting under the heading of "What to do When I'm Not Really Traveling!" I sincerely hope I am not boring my loyal followers with these "non-traveling" posts but, hey, I actually enjoy a respite by not hanging out in airports, taking off my shoes, going through security lines at airports, hasseling with rude gate agents, putting up with flight delays, jet lag, paying exorbitant prices for what-used-to-be-free luggage, etc. etc. Still, while I enjoy not having to go on a really long trip .... I still want to get out of the confines of the four walls of my humble abode and see something new.

So, I managed to get away from the apartment for a few hours about two weekends ago (April 16th to be exact) and take in the magnificent Texas wildflowers that annually spring up in the "Hill country", about a hour and a half drive west of Houston. I drive along Highway 290, then north along FM 1155 and there they are. Some of Mother Nature's finest flowers ever! I hope you will enjoy these photos and, as always, all comments are appreciated!! Really!

Blue bonnets galore ....

The red-colored flowers are named Indian Paintbrush.

Chappell Hill marks the start of the Blue Bonnet road tour. I turn off of 290 at this location and then head north along FM 1155 with my trusty Canon 50D digital SLR camera ready for action.

What better place to have lunch after an exhausting road trip than at the Must Be Heaven restaurant located right in the center of Brenham, Texas. Pleasant atmosphere, reasonably priced food .... but a looooong line to get seated at lunch time! I took me 25 minutes before I could place my order.

When I returned home at about 3 pm, I found this fellow had bloomed during the day right outside my apartment door!!

Vacation in Tucson, Arizona: My Third Visit! (March 11 - 15)

2010-04-13T15:41:00.021-05:00

Last month, I managed to get away from the office and spend a few days visiting a good friend and his wife who live in Tucson, Arizona. Making this trek to Arizona has become a tradition of sorts with my now having visited Tucson three times over the past three years!!

The iconic view of Arizona!! Lots of cactus - and all are protected by state law! If you build a house, you MUST pay to relocate each cactus.

The highlight of this year's visit came the very first day (Friday, March 12) when my friend drove me up to Mt. Lemmon. We lucked out in that last week the road leading up to the summit was closed because of heavy snow. This day, however, the weather was perfect: sunny, blue skies - great picture taking weather!! On the road up to Mt. Lemmon we passed this unusual rock formation - I call it the "Indian Head" rock as it resembles an American Indian - or so I imagine based upon the old movies of the 1950s.

Cactus, cactus and more cactus!!

Spectacular views abound along the scenic road up to Mt. Lemmon!

Near the summit at Mount Lemmon - elevation about 9,000 feet.

The Sky Island road leading up to Mt. Lemmon.

Have no doubt, the snow was DEEP! Thankfully, the road surface had been cleared and so there were no slippery driving conditions to worry about at all during the drive up to the summit. Near the peak was a ski lift and hundreds of skiers. We had lunch at the Iron Door restaurant. Good food ..... but we had to wait about 20 minutes before being seated.

On Saturday (March 13) my friend and I drove to Tombstone, Arizona (almost a 2-hour drive from Tucson). We purchased tickets ($10.00 per person) for a 30-minute reenactment of the famous Gunfight at the OK Corral!

The gunfight show was, well, OK. A bit silly but who cares. It ended with a BANG - several in fact! True to the actual historical record of the by now legendary shootout, the gunfight itself lasted less than about two minutes!

The actors who played Wyatt Earp, Doc Holiday, and the other "good guys".

Last stop: on Sunday (March 14), we visited the petroglyphs at Signal Hill. Excellent outing - highly recommended.

Now that you have made it this far through this posting, please visit the last three postings - all made in the past week or so. With this posting, I am finally caught up with all my recent travels. Hope you enjoy the photos! Comments are welcome .... and sought after!!!

PS: I've made several postings over the past few weeks and have yet to receive any comments from my loyal followers. If anyone out there has the time, I'd really appreciate seeing your comments! Do you like the photography and my dialog with each posting? Just curious. I naturally want to keep my blog of interest to as many of my followers as I possibly can! Thanks in advance for your time!

Mini-Vacation in San Luis Obispo and Paso Robles, CA March 25-28

2010-04-12T11:35:00.008-05:00

Every once in a while I manage to tack on a little vacation time to a business assignment. A recent trip to Bakersfield (see prior posting) allowed me to take time for a short respite at a friend's house in San Luis Obispo, California. Although I had previously visited San Luis Obispo early last year (see posting from January, 2009), I was able to take some new sightseeing opportunities. One highlight, located near the town of Los Osos, was the state park called Montana del Oro.

Spectacular views abound at the beach in Montana del Oro park.

Another "find" - for me at least - was in Paso Robles, California, where I was surprised and pleased to visit several fine wineries. Who knew that Paso Robles is designated as an official American Vinticultural Area (AVA for short)??!! Like most folks, I am well aware of Sonoma and Napa and the many wineries in those two Northern California counties. Turns out, however, there are literally dozens of wineries in or near Paso Robles!! And I managed to visit five such places on Saturday, March 27!

Castoro Cellars: great scenery and excellent wines. I purchased a fine 'dessert wine'.

Eagle Castle winery. Just opened. Here I purchased a 375 mL-sized bottle of a "dessert wine" - basically a very sweet wine. Some folks turn up their noses at dessert wines but, hey, this sort of wine is just what I like! By the way, Eagle Castle charges a $5.00 'tasting fee' (sadly, most wineries do this now) but visitors are allowed to taste up to fourteen (14) different wines! A great value and a fine tasting experience.

Lost Hills, California: March 22 - 25

2010-04-08T20:35:00.005-05:00

About two weeks ago, I travelled to Bakersfield, California (first time there since January of 2009) and had the pleasure to visit one of our company's smaller oil fields in the nearby area to conduct a review of the chemical treating program in that location. I often am called upon to act as sort of a "Mr. Fix-It" wherein I travel to a field area and help our men and women engineers tackle whatever problems currently are afflicting their operations. And to be "Mr. Fix-It", I have to further take on the role of a detective, asking questions, digging up data, reviewing past reports, touring the field and then helping - somehow - to solve the mystery of the problem(s) at hand. Not an easy task! Anyway, this week's "patient" was located in Lost Hills - a very small town located about an hour's drive north of Bakersfield.

Travel north of Bakersfield on 99 and take a left turn onto Route 46 and then head west a few miles .... and you will arrive in Lost Hills!

Our Lost Hills oilfield is a very old operation. You can't miss it! Hwy 46 goes right through the middle of the oil field. For the unfamiliar visitor, it presents an odd sight indeed - seemingly hundreds of oil well pumps bobbing up and down. Quite a lot of pumping and all for slightly less than 5,000 barrels of oil per day .... less than what one typical oil well in the Middle East produces in one day!!!

After my work was completed, I continued to travel west on 46 to Hwy 101 an then headed south to visit a good friend in San Luis Obispo. I spent a few days there on vacation, heading home on Sunday, March 28. That mini-vacation will be the subject of my next posting. Stay tuned ....

Houston's Azalea Trail - March 2010

2010-04-03T11:36:00.012-05:00

Apologies for being late. I've been so very busy with work and a recent business trip and mini-vacation to San Luis Obispo as well as Tucson, Arizona that I've "fallen down" on my blogging efforts. I shall endeavor to catch up.

Herewith I present a few photos from the recent Azalea Trail - an annual event held in early March in the Bayou Bend area of Houston. Because of the unusually "cold" winter (I put "cold" in quotations since this is a relative term; a northerner would smile but the weather was cold for those of us who call Houston home!), the azaleas did not bloom on time. Many azaleas were still dormant at the time of this year's Azalea Trial. In fact, if one visits the site this weekend in April, I suspect there may still be many on display.

Enjoy the photos:

The Diana Garden - probably the best looking of the various gardens spread out within Bayou Bend.

The Clio Garden (ca. 1928).

Hundreds of magnolias (or so I was told) .....

I was not the only visitor taking pictures this fine day (March 8) ....

A description of Bayou Bend - where the annual Azalea Trail is centered. There are several other places along the 'trail' but this particular location is the main one!

Miss Ima Hogg - the lady who once lived at Bayou Bend and whose property is now the property of and maintained by the City of Houston and the Museum of Fine Arts. Reference: www.mfah.org/bayoubend

OK ... this is not part of the Azalea Trail .... it's the Japanese Tea Garden located in Hermann Park - an excellent place to spend a quiet afternoon while in Houston.

PS: I shall try to post pictures of my recent vacation in Tucson, Arizona (March 11 - 15) and San Luis Obispo, California (March 25 - 28) and maybe even my business trip to Lost Hills, California but now, my dear followers, I simply MUST get to work on completing my US federal taxes!! (Render unto Ceasar what's Ceasar's ... and before April 15th!!)

Ft. Worth, Texas; Duncan, Oklahoma and Wichita, Kansas!

2010-02-25T15:17:00.007-06:00

Photo: View of Wichita, KANSAS from my room at the Wichita Hyatt Hotel.

Ah, the joys of simple DOMESTIC (in country) travel! I was thankfully blessed with a trouble free trip last week as part of a three-stop lecture tour in the central USA that took me to Ft. Worth, Texas (my fist visit to Fort Worth!!), Duncan, Oklahoma (my previous visit to Duncan was about 25 years ago) and Wichita, KANSAS (my first ever visit to the state of Kansas!). I am pleased to report that all my flights and associated flight connections were ON TIME and the weather was most pleasant (generally fair weather - albeit cold - without any snow storms to disrupt the flight schedules as would have no doubt been the case had I travelled the week prior when Ft. Worth had over a foot of snow!).

A side benefit: A total of 94 people showed up for my lecture in Fort Worth, the second best attendance of all my presentations to date (about 120 people attended my lecture when I was in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia last month).

Some lasting impressions: (a) downtown Fort Worth was surprisingly pleasant; I walked around at night and did not feel threatened; (b) Duncan, Oklahoma was next door to Fort Sill - one of the largest military bases in the USA. As a result, there were many Army and Air Force personnel on my flight to/from Lawton, OK; (c) although I was in Kansas for only about 19 hours, the people in Wichita were most friendly and hospitable - always a welcome treat on any trip! (A pleasant contrast to the rude people I once ran across in Vienna, Austria during my visit there in the mid-1990's!) A sampling of the photos I managed to capture follow:

I never did find out what this building was but it sure figures prominently in downtown, Fort Worth, Texas.

The Bass Performance Hall (built by the Bass brothers who reportedly own most of the real estate in Fort Worth, Texas).

A nice contrast of old and new buildings in Forth Worth.

A restored area in downtown Fort Worth. Many shops, restaurants and cafes make for a most pleasant stroll.

OKLAHOMA ..... from the air. I was surprised by how makes lakes dot the land!!!

NAPOLI's Italian restaurant in Duncan, Oklahoma. I nice, simple, unpretentious place for dinner.

Main Street in Duncan, Oklahoma. Not much to brag about here .....

Apparently this boat, located across the street from the Wichita Hyatt Hotel where I was staying, once raced in the Americas Cup???

The Wichita Petroleum Club where I gave my lecture. A small turnout greeted me: only 19 people attended. :-(

Bye Bye Dubai and the Long Trip to Home

2010-02-06T09:39:00.005-06:00

Well, it's that time again - time to return to HOME-SWEET-HOME! I thoroughly enjoyed my short overnight stay in Dubai. This time I booked a room at the Intercontinental Festival City Hotel (shown above). The hotel is right next door to the Festival City Mall (pictured below) - one of the newest malls in Dubai. There are plenty of choices from which to select when it comes to restaurants and coffee shops.

I believe I've said this before but I'll say it again, if you have never been to the Middle East, try to arrange at least one visit to Dubai. It's an adult playground, very relaxed, alcohol is allowed at the hotels, and a visitor can get an excellent introduction to life in the Middle East. Just bring your credit cards folks as it is expensive to stay here!! Try it, you'll like it!

Coffee break in the Festival City Mall.

Outside view of the Festival City Mall next to the Intercontinental Hotel.

I spotted this 'medicine' in the pharmacy section of the HyperPanda supermarket store in the Festival City mall. Anyone have any idea what this stuff is good for and does it really work??!!

A great place to purchase teas. (This particular store is located somewhere within the Festival City mall.)

My itinerary home was NOT one I would have chosen! The Society of Petroleum Engineers booked my ticket and selected my return via Delta 7 from Dubai to Atlanta. I departed Dubai at the delightful hour of 11:30 pm. Wheels up was @ midnight. We landed at Atlanta International Airport after 14 hours and 40 minutes of flying. I did NOT like the seating ergonomics aboard Delta's Business Class section. The seats are way too cramped for a tall person like myself. At any rate, at least we were not delayed and upon arrival I managed to zip thru immigration and customs in a relatively short time. I rode the train to Concourse 'D' and waited about 2 hours for my connecting flight home. We departed from Gate D13 on time (!) but had to wait a while before actually taking off. Our plane (Flight 5179) was way behind a long line of other jets waiting to take off at Atlanta's airport (picture above). Once I was at home in my apartment, I unpacked a little and then dove into bed for a blissful sleep! Home at last!

Return to Work in KUWAIT!

2010-02-01T01:20:00.007-06:00

Photo: Sunrise over the Arabian Gulf at Mina Al-Zour, Kuwait

Well here I sit in my comfortable room in Dubai and I finally have time to pen this posting summarizing the prior ten (10) days in Kuwait. Time flies when you're having fun! And this short visit sure flew by! I flew in on Friday, January 22 and hit the ground running on Sunday, Jan 24. Too much work to do and not enough time to do everything! However, I managed to squeeze in a pleasant weekend (Jan. 29 & 30) following the conclusion of the work week. I ventured to the Avenues Mall (Kuwait's largest and newest mall) on Friday and, afterwards, enjoyed a sumptuous buffet lunch at the Moevenpick resort hotel in Salmiya. On Saturday, I simly went to the Starbucks nearest our camp (about 32 km north of our compound). The rest of my Saturday was work related and so I shall not bore you with that! FYI: The Al Zour Starbucks is STILL CLOSED! Something about a "license problem" .... On Sunday (Jan. 31st) I departed Kuwait aboard Emirates 856 at about 10:30am and arrived into Dubai at almost 1 pm. We arrived into the new Terminal 3. You gotta see this place to believe it!! The one negative first impression I came away with is that the walk from the gate to pasport control was way too loooooong (about 10 minutes, at least!). But once I was in the baggage claim area, WOW! It looked like the inside of a palace. It was huge. And being so brand new, everything shined and glistened in the bright lights overhead! I grabbed my suitcase and met my driver and I was off to the Intercontinental Hotel in Festival City. Then it was time to rest and relax!

Next (and final posting for this trip): DUBAI

A very nice home spotted alongside Highway 40 heading into Kuwait City.

My favorite - water towers!

It's alive!!! We've had some rain in Kuwait in the last few weeks and all it takes is a little water and the desert comes alive with flowers and grass.

A violinst played near my table wile I ate my Friday buffet lunch at the Moevenpick resort hotel in Salmiya.

Dubai, UAE

2010-01-25T05:37:00.011-06:00

Dubai is my last stop on this Middle Eastern lecture tour. I arrived on time aboard my flight from Dammam, Saudi Arabia (the above picture shows the Dubai skyline at night). Thankfully, there was no waiting on the airport immigration line and I arrived at the Crowne Plaza Hotel (hte one along Sheikh Zayed Road) on Tuesday evening (January 19). The following day, I gave my lecture at 12:30 pm. Total speaking time was about 45 minutes followed by the usual 15 minutes of Q&A. (About 25 people in attendance.) And then my tour was officially completed and I could then begin to rest and relax.

Now the fun part - a friend offered to show me around the Emirates (fyi - there are seven emirates of which Dubai is only one) and I eagerly accepted his generous offer. (Note: to allow me the time to do this sightseeing, I paid the extra night at the hotel but the added cost is worth it to me!) My friend picked me up at 9:15 am and we drove to the eastern most part of the UAE near the Omani border. We soon encountered some fabulous mountains and stopped at the Hatta Fort Hotel for a pleasant lunch and some excellent scenery that most short-term visitors to the UAE never encounter! On the way back to Dubai, I snapped a few pictures of the mountains and at one location I had inadvertantly photographed a small portion of a UAE Army barracks nearby where I was standing. Oops!! A soldier came out of nowhere in a jeep and took my little camera and ordered us to follow him. At the base camp, he handed my camera to his commanding officer who scanned thru the pictures and then ordered me to delete two (2) of the pictures I had stored in the camera memory. Fortunately, that was all! We then shook hands, he handed me two pieces of fruit and I was outta there, car tires spinning in the desert sand as we drove off!

The next day (Friday, January 22) I departed from the ultra-modern Terminal 3 at Dubai International Airport. The Emirates Business Class is so huge they have a directory of the various sections of the lounge!! I boarded Emirates 857 to Kuwait for an on-time departure!!

NEXT POST: Kuwait

The Burj Khalifa - now the world's tallest building! I wanted to go to the 124th floor observation deck but the hotel concierge informed me there might be up to a 2 hour wait in line to get tickets and that the ticket price ranged from 200 to 400 Dirhams .... depending upon the length of the que!

Some scenic mountains along the road to the Omani border.

Where we had lunch ....

A view of the pool area at the Hatta Fort Hotel.

Who knows what this building is for but it sure looks nice ....

Reply to Comments:

Al: Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment. Using my rule-of-thumb which states a person needs one day for every hour of time shifting, I am already caught up from my jet lag (9 hours between Houston and Kuwait time)! Now it's time for "real" oilfield work!! And YOU know better than anyone what that entails!

Thumbprint: Yes, Saudi may be sometime be viewed as "boring" but for those of us expats lucky enough to work with Saudi Aramco (or I suppose some of the other major companies within the Kingdom), there are enough unusual everday events that make for an interesting life and for many memories to reflect back upon in our later years. At least that is my opinion. Glad you like my postings. Many thanks for your recent comment! I just hope I can reach out to more followers like you who take the time to leave comments!

Hindsfeet: Many thanks for your recent comments as well. I just haven't had the time to properly express my thanks to you and to all my other followers who make time for leaving a comment or two. That lets me know I am at least managing to reach out to a few dedicated followers out there in the blogosphere.

Ron: In reply to the comment you left a few days ago (regarding my Doha posting), Doha is a lot smaller than Dubai, less frenetic - probably a lot like Dubai WAS many years ago. However, given all the construction cranes, I'd say it won't be long before Doha becomes like Dubai. I am frankly surprised that the pace of construction has not slowed despite the woldwide recession!!

Ryan Schellenberg: Glad you liked my pictures from Doha. I only wish I can go there again soon! A truly unique place to visit!!

Dhahran, SAUDI ARABIA

2010-01-21T22:37:00.006-06:00

My first visit to The Kingdom was way back in December, 1979 so I am considering this trip as the thirtieth anniversary of that first trip to Saudi Arabia. As always, I value my visits here since I can renew my contacts with the many colleagues who work for Saudi Aramco (formerly the Arabian American Oil Company or simply ARAMCO). And that trip in 1979 was my first international trip in service to the company for whom I still work after all these 32 years. And it was here, in Saudi Arabia, where I was first "bitten" by the bug for wanting to do an overseas assignment. However, it took me about 20 years to finally get up the nerve to actually get an overseas posting (which I did in 1998 - 2003)! Looking back, those years overseas were some of the best years of my 32+ year carreer as a "traveling chemist". The only problem with this visit is that it was so short! I arrived over the causeway from Bahrain at Steineke Hall (the primary residence for visitors) at about 11 am. I had 15 mnutes to unpack and then it was off to the room where I gave my 45 minute lecture. Surprisingly, this turned out to be the BEST opportunity for me to present my topic as there were over 120 people in attendance! Puuuurfect!! Enjoy the limited pictures. Note: it's darn tough to take photos in Saudi Arabia so I limited my picture taking impulses and thus have only a few pictures to share:

The several mile long causeway connecting the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia to Bahrain. It took 80 minutes to transit from Bahrain to Dhahran. This included a 20-minute stop at the Saudi border to have my picture taken and then get fingerprinted by the immigration authorities. FYI: you need to get a Saudi visa before departing your home country. NO visas are issued on arrival as was the case in Qatar.

Steineke Hall - THE place to rest your head overnight! Anyone who has ever been to Dhahran knows this place inside and out!!! Plain and simple rooms ... most acceptable.

The main dining hall in Dhahran. Good food at very reasonable cost! And a great way to meet fellow workers at meal time!

Some desert scenery in the Dhahran camp.

Saudi Aramco: The largest employer within the country. And a great company to work for if you have the technical skills to offer the company.

Sadly, my visit to The Kingdom was way too short. I departed Tuesday afternoon from the fairly new Dammam airport. (The original Dhahran airport has long since closed and is now exclusively used by the Saudi Air Force.) The Dammam airpot resembles a huge warehouse and is grossly underutilized and poorly managed facility (and that is also the opinion of a Saudi colleague!!). At least my flight on Saudi Arabian Airlines to Dubai took off on the dot and landed in Dubai exactly on time!

NEXT POST: Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Doha, Qatar - More Pictures

2010-01-20T06:26:00.018-06:00

Before leaving Doha, I managed to take a city tour (lasting only 3.5 hours) and would like to share these pictures. What really impressed me a lot about Doha is the diverse and unusual architecture scattered throughout this fine city! Have a look at some of the more strange looking buildings ... along with a few other pictures.

These residences are actually called the "Zig Zag Buildings"!

Two rather strange looking buildings ....

This building looks like a bullet. My friend says it resembles something else ... I won't say what!

Almost to be completed, at the top of this structure will be a torch and a swimming pool!! (That's what the tour guide said!)

A falcon - taken at the (what else) falcon market!

The vegetable market ........

And the camel market .........

Another odd-ball object d'art along the road side .....

A most pleasant skyline indeed!

On Sunday (January 17th) I made the first of what will be a total of three lectures for this particular lecture tour. I gave my talk in front of 25 people that evening.

The next morning - no rest for the weary - I got up at 4:45 am and checked out of my hotel at 5:30 am and headed to the Doha Airport. I checked in to my flight to Bahrain which took off at 8:25 am and arrived in Manama at 8:50 am (exactly on time!). I cleared immigration (30 min. wait) and collected my luggage and met my driver and we proceeded over the King Fahad Causeway into the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia.

NEXT POST: The road to Saudi Arabia and my visit to Saudi Aramco in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia.

DOHA, QATAR

2010-01-15T02:43:00.014-06:00

>> Photo: Doha City Skyline at Sunset.

Photo: One of my favorite buildings in Doha! No clue what it is; it just looks nice - and golden!!

My first visit to Qatar! I flew on Qatar Airways non-stop from Houston Wednesday evening and after 13 hours and 38 minutes of flying, I arrived into Doha Thursday evening (9 hours ahead of US Central time). Since I was in Business Class, I managed to get onto the "Fast Track" through immigration and visa issuance where the line was "only"' 30 minutes. The line for immigration for economy class passengers, however, was humongous!! With my visa in hand, I fetched my suitcase, located my driver, and I was off to the hotel (for a 25 minute ride).

I checked into the Intercontinental Doha Hotel and crashed into bed! Enough travel --- now it's time for rest!

Today - Friday - will be a day of rest for me. Since I cannot sleep on long haul flights [as I have explained many times in prior postings] I am virtually a 'basket case' after an overnight flight and I need a day at least to recover from the severe effects of both sleeplessness and jet lag. Hence today's agenda has me going to the mall in the afternoon where I plan on doing the Starbucks thing, followed by some window shopping, etc., and then return to the hotel. Tomorrow I plan on taking a city tour to orient myself with the city of Doha. FYI: there are about 1.4 million residents in Qatar of which reportedly there are about 425,000 Qatari nationals and the remainder are expatriates.

Anyway, some photographic evidence to introduce my followers to Qatar. Hopefully, more pictures shall follow.

My hotel here in Doha ....

Some most unusal looking buildings in the distance. I shall try to get to a better vantage point from which to photograph these buildings close up and post that picture here later ....

A new, fancy, upscale hotel under construciton right in front of the Intercontinental Hotel (the driver said this would be a Ritz Carlton).

Samples of Qatari currency .... I believe you will agree the notes are quite colorful! (Approximately 3.64 Qatari Riyals equals $1.00 USD.)

2010: Happy New Year!

2010-01-01T21:51:00.016-06:00

Just a brief note to wish everyone a Happy New Year in 2010. May this new year be better than the last! And to all you fellow travelers out there - may you all have safe and (hopefully) enjoyable trips to many new places.

As for me, I started 2010 off with a trip to Discovery Green (downtown Houston). The winds were low enough for the "AeroBalloon" to go aloft. A local temporary hiring firm is sponsoring the rides in the balloon from December to February 28, 2010. I paid my $20 USD (YIKES!) and boarded along with three other passengers.

The helium-filled balloon reached an altitude that was reported to be equivalent to about 35 stories. (The experience remined me of the recent animated movie "UP"!)

The view from above looking down on the launching pad.

All that holds us from blowing away is a 1" stainless steel cable!!

A view of the Minute Maid sports stadium (on the east side of downtown Houston).

A view of the ice skating rink from above. We remained aloft for only 5 minutes (ca. $4/minute!!). After a way too short time aloft, they reeled in the cable and pulled us down.

Before leaving Discovery Green, I took in the park's current art exhibit which featured dozens of globes, each one focusing on a particular aspect of the environment.

Several globes all lined up in a neat row.

Some nearby buildings made for a rather picturesque Houston skyline!

Merry Christmas Everyone!!

2009-12-25T12:37:00.005-06:00

I wish all my loyal followers a very Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays! Thanks for following my blog during the past two years. I hope to continue your readership by posting many more interesting notes throughout 2010. And to all the fellow travelers out there (even those among you who can only be vicarious travelers) - Happy Travels! May all your trips be safe, productive and enjoyable!

Still "Grounded" at home but enjoying it! May I Interest You in Houston's Newest Library??

2009-12-20T19:19:00.009-06:00

As my good friend in New York noticed the other day, the Traveling Chemist is still "grounded" at home in Houston. Well, to be candid, I don't mind spending some time at home and in fact it is often what I secretly wish for on the eve of every long-distance international trip and especially after being away from home for a particularly long period of time. Being home affords me time to address all those pesky chores that crop up during the year and which I've had to put off while I was away from home. And, with all these 'monster' snow storms affecting airline schedules during these winter months, I just as soon avoid the airports anyway! As one wise friend once commented: Christmas is the time of the year when people who normally don't travel, travel. I don't know about you, dear followers, but THAT is exactly the time of year I DON'T want to travel!! (Avoid all those crowds!)

Meanwhile, in my attempt to keep alive the interests of my loyal followers who are checking in here daily or weekly to see and read about my travel exploits, I will at least try to post some pictures that will have an admittedly local focus about my life at home for the Holidays in Houston (my home city for the past 32+ years). But, dear followers, please stick around! Next month is promising to be more active with an international trip planned for mid-January. In the meantime, can I interest you in details about Houston's newest library???? Then read on .....

On Thursday, December 17, there was a "pre-opening" celebration at Houston's newest library - the Kendall Library branch on 609 N. Eldridge Parkway. It is the only branch library with three floors, a gymnasium and a drive-thru window! The current Kendall branch along Memorial Drive will be officially closed in February and all its books will then be moved to this new building.

Well, I can't conclude this posting without at least one picture of the Holiday paraphenalia appearing outside many of Houston's homes. The one above depicts a snowman.

Don't worry - no one was actually hurt here. Just one family's idea of a humorous "decoration". This model allegedly shows someone having just fallen off the roof while stringing up some Christmas lights!

Ah well, apologies to anyone who might be offended ...... but with such a weird company name (might there be a company called "Gigolo"??), I simply could not resist capturing this photo while on the way to the barber in Bellaire last Saturday.

Jackson, Mississippi - Dec. 8 & 9

2009-12-12T20:52:00.006-06:00

Photo: The Mississippi state capitol building.

My first ever visit to Mississippi came on Tuesday (Dec. 8) when I flew to Jackson, the state capitol of Mississippi. I arrived to overcast skies and a slight drizzle (which later turned to a driving rain later that evening). I was met by a driver who took me to my motel - the Holiday Inn Express in Pearl - a suburb of Jackson.

The following morning was superb - clear blue sky with a cool temperature. The purpose of this trip to Jackson was to give another in the series of my lectures that I am presenting on behalf of a professional society for petroleum engineers. My presentation was held at the River Hills Club outside Jackson. Before my talk started at 12 noon, I asked my sponsor if he'd mind taking me into downtown Jackson to allow me to at see at least one main attraction in the city! I chose the capitol building. With blue skies in the background, it made for a picture perfect day - see the above photo! After our brief excursion downtown, we headed to the country club where we had lunch followed by my talk which lasted 45 minutes. Attendance = 17 people.

My presentation was over at 1 pm and by 1:40 pm, I was at the Jackson Airport where I managed to snag an early flight home to Houston. My kind of trip .... short and sweet!!

The eagle atop the state capitol buidling.

The old capitol building, located a few blocks from the current capitol building (shown at the top of this posting).

The Mississippi state flag. In the upper left corner is the old Confederate flag (the "Stars and Bars"). A little nostalgic but upsetting to some as it represents bad elements of the old South.

The River Hills Country Club where I gave my lecture presentation.

A view from my seat in Row 19 (the last row) of the flight home to Houston.

Snow in Houston, Texas!!

2009-12-04T18:32:00.009-06:00

I fully realize that most folks living in the northeastern USA or in the upper mid-western states or in the Rocky Mountain areas (Colorado, etc.) or anywhere else (for example, northern Europe or northern China, etc.) will chuckle, chortle, laugh or just shrug ("so what's the big deal ...") at all this fuss I am making but, hey, today's weather is a BIG deal for us Houstonians! Today marks the earliest recorded snowfall in Houston - ever. Never before has it snowed in Houston as early as December 4th!! Normally we go for several YEARS without any snow so when we do see some snow - even if only in small amounts - we are excited! And, today, the meteorological conditions were perfect! In my area of West Houston, we only experienced a light dusting of snow - about 0.5" to 1 " total accumulation. Outlying areas had up to 3 - 4 inches accumulation! And the best outcome of all .... our office workplace was closed at 12 noon. A perfect way to spend a winter day in Houston!

The snow by our apartment pool area. Talk about a strange juxtaposition!!

Snow covered vegetation .....

I managed to scrape up enough snow from these cars to make a few snowballs!!

- - - - - -

Follow-Up: Saturday was a superb day: clear, blue sky and very cool temperatures. The day began at 26 deg F and eventually rose to around 50 deg F (10 deg C). My neighbor's flowers all withered away from the thermal shock. Sadly, with the temperature quickly rebounding, it wasn't long before all traces of our recent snowfall disappeared. Oh well, our one day of winter! It sure was nice while it lasted!

Madame Lefty: Welcome back! It's great to get another posting from you and also good to hear that your teaching job is going well. I must admit I was surprised to learn that our local school district (Houston Independent School District - HISD) kept classes going while our company - and many other large corporations - let their employees off from work! Oh well, it's still early in the season, maybe Houston will get a 'double-header' and receive yet another wintry blast! I hope!!

Ron: Thanks so much for your suggestions! I am always afraid of checking my camera and lenses for fear of theft by the TSA and by baggage handlers!

Nichole and Kyle: Many thanks for taking the time to leave comments and glad to hear you liked my posting!

Hindsfeet: Glad you like my photography! It's my favorite hobby .... after traveling, of course!!

Happy Thanksgiving

2009-11-27T20:31:00.007-06:00

To all my loyal followers here in the USA and to whomever else celebrates this day of Thanks .... I wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving!

I started out the day taking pictures around the west side of Houston during the early morning:

A new artwork appeared two weeks ago next to the new Westchase Park office building near the intersection of Westpark and Beltway 8. The new artwork is entitled Synergy and was created by Texas artist George Schroeder.

Next stop: church; then a fabulous buffet meal at the Omni Hotel (Woodway and Loop 610). Excellent food and atmosphere. Total cost = $70.00 USD!! Expensive for sure but since I only indulge in this sort of extravagance only about once a year, well, why not! After I stuffed myself with delicious food, I wandered around the front courtyard of the Omni Hotel and photographed the geese swimming around a pond adjacent to the hotel. One goose in particular - after eyeing me intently for a few seconds - started to chase after me snapping his mouth several times!! (Talk about a wild goose chase!!)

Anyway, I survived the chase and after capturing a few more photos I departed for home.

FYI: This was my first Thanksgiving at home in Houston since 2006. Having spent the last two Thanksgivings in Kuwait, I was quite pleased to be home again for the Holiday this year!

Rice University (Houston, Texas)

2009-11-12T11:48:00.003-06:00

I'm still at home (and will be for a few more weeks) but at least I had the pleasure of spending a day over at Rice University to attend a semi-annual joint-industry-project update. Wednesday was one of those rare days in Houston when the sky was virtually cloudless and the humidity was low. After the morning's presentations, we all trooped over to the Faculty Club for lunch and as we walked I managed to get a few pictures of the beautiful campus. Almost makes me want to go back to school again ..... almost .... but then again, since I still need the income, I'd better keep working!

At Home in Houston ....

2009-11-09T13:48:00.006-06:00

My original plan was to be in Kuwait this month but since the Eid al-Ada holiday (a big Holiday in the Islamic world) falls almost on the same day as our Thanksgiving Day, it was decided by the powers-that-be in our company's office in Kuwait that I remain here in the USA and travel instead at a later date (yet to be determined). Although I must admit I miss traveling, at least I will have the opportunity to spend Thanksgiving at home here in Houston for the first time since 2006! (The last two Thanksgivings were in Kuwait!) So, my dear followers, I hope you won't be too disappointed by the lack of new postings. I have a short trip in early December but otherwise I shall remain housebound for the next few weeks.

One pleasant item to report: my kind and generous boss has allowed our team to purchase a new telephoto lens for our team's camera. Our new 'toy' is a Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS USM telephoto lens. The picture below shows the lens mounted on our Canon 50D SLR. I will practice using the new lens over the Christmas Holiday and if I capture any interesting photos, I will post them here. One word of caution: the lens weighs 3 pounds (ca. 1,500 grams!).

As a first example of what this lens can do, I took a picture of the new Memorial Hermann Hospital building located along I-10 (near Gessner) in West Houston and then I zoomed in on the ghastly top of the building. You can see the difference in the 100 mm and 400 mm focusing ranges. My question to anyone who lives here in Houston: just what the heck is that thing on the building top anyway? An observation deck? And just how much did (or will) that architectural trifle cost the hospital's patients??!! No wonder we have a health care crisis here in the USA!!

The new Memorial Hermann hospital building at 100 mm focal length (above) ....

and at 400 mm focal length. So what is that thing on the top of the building??!!

Happy Halloween - The Road to Recovery

2009-10-30T17:09:00.008-05:00

The Traveling Chemist has been home for about nine (9) days with what turned out to be a 'bacterial infection'. At first I thought it was the 'flu' but I had my suspicions. One clue: the "Tamiflu" anti-viral drug I was prescribed had no effect. By the time the doctor considered using an antibiotic, the 'bug' was - thankfully - all gone. (I just hope it stays away!!!)

Anyway, I finally recovered and returned to work last Monday. Today (Friday, October 30) has ushered in some excellent Fall weather here in Houston (temps in the mid-60's F; ca. 18 - 19 deg C). Finally, the heat and humidity have gone and I can roll down my car windows, open my apartment windows and let the fresh air in.

>>>>>>>> HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!

One Day in Covington, Louisiana

2009-10-08T20:19:00.006-05:00

I had the pleasure of taking a short (one-day) trip to Covington, Louisiana - a small, upscale community located about 30 miles north of New Orleans on what is termed the 'North Shore' of Lake Pontchartrain (see photo above) I have been to New Orleans many, many times but have never ventured outside its main metropolitan area and thus this visit allowed me an opportunity to experience a new part of Louisiana.

Our one-hour flight to Houston was relatively pleasant (despite the 40-minute delay). And I flew out of Hobby airport - something I haven't done in recent memory. (FYI: Hobby handles mainly local commuter flights to/from Houston - most of which are of short duration. Also, there are no international flights out of Hobby to my knowledge.) We rented a car and my colleague volunteered to drive the one-hour trip from the New Orleans Airport, along the 20+ mile causeway that connects the south and north shores of Lake Pontchartrain into Covington.

Unlike the central, main business district of New Orleans - which often seems to me to be rather shabby in appearance - Covington has a much more pleasing 'eye appeal'. Nice, upscale homes and several excellent local restaurants - two in which I had the pleasure of dining. We had a lot of business to conduct and thus I have relatively few photos to share of this one-day trip.

Copeland's restaurant in Covington. This restaurant was directly across the street from the Courtyard by Marriott hotel where we stayed. Excellent food!! The following day I had lunch at Zea, another fine restaurant which I can heartily recommend!!

A local goose who got a bit disturbed when I approached him!

The flight home on Southwest Airlines was smooth and ON TIME!

Replies to Comments:

John: The menu at either Copeland's or Zea's is quite varied and as is usually the case with many restaurants nowadays, you can access their menu on-line. Zea's menu and locations can be found at: Zearestaurants.com Enjoy!!

Final Day in Wyoming - and the Trip Home!

2009-09-27T19:22:00.014-05:00

Monday, September 21 was my last day in Rock Springs. Since my presentation was set for 6 pm, I chose to remain close to town and visited the Rock Springs Historical Museum. And am I glad I did ... this place is a true gem of a museum. Mind you, it's a small museum, the displays are nice enough but the museum coordinator - Bob Nelson - was a font of information about local history! I learned about facts such as: (a) "Butch Cassidy" was not killed in South America but allegedly lived after the famous shoot-out and returned to Wyoming; in fact his grandson still lives!; (b) Rock Springs supposedly got its start thanks to coal (see above sign!) but actually it was the railroad that started building a town there to provide a temporary place for the workers to live.

If you are ever in the area, please take an hour to visit this museum -- you will not regret your decision!

The Rock Springs Historical Museum in downtown Rock Springs, Wyoming.

Butch Cassidy, the Sundance Kid and three other 'outlaws' in a classic photo taken after they robbed a bank of about $32,000 USD.

A display on how Robert Parker picked up the name Butch Cassidy.

The museum has a small library containing a wealth of local historical records (newspaper clippings, photos, etc.) and information.

Mr. Bob Nelson - the museum coordinator. He can talk at length about the local history. He is very knowledgeable and very easy to talk to and will gladly answer all your questions.

The next day I flew to Williston, North Dakota. Turned out to be a terrible flight on Great Lakes Airlines (aka Great Mistakes Airlines). I was delayed 5 hours in Denver and barely made it to Williston in time for my 7 pm presentation! Thankfully, my flights home on Wednesday (9/23) were both ON TIME and I walked into my Houston apartment at 10:35 pm and collapsed into bed about an hour later!

Replies to Comments:

Hindsfeet: Thanks for visiting my blog! I may try to add more Alaska photos - once I get the time! And that is a major problem lately! I have a cranky customer in Kuwait who wants what he wants when he wants it! I simply MUST take care of his request this week ... so maybe later .....

John: Thanks, as always, for stopping by my blog! Always nice to know someone is looking in here from time to time!! Have a great Friday!!

Weekend in Western WYOMING

2009-09-19T20:56:00.012-05:00

I have the entire weekend to rest up and prepare for the final two presentations in my lecture tour next week. As I mentioned in my last posting, my previous visit to Wyoming was about 30 years ago and so I chose to spend Saturday revisiting those locations where I took my first field trip for my current employer: Big Piney and La Barge, Wyoming. By themselves, these locations are not "special" places. Neither town has any spectacular scenery or tourist sites to brag about, it's just that each place holds a lot of memories for me.

My day started at 8:45 am. I drove along Highway 352 to 191 and arrived at La Barge - my first stop - at 10:30 am. La Barge is the location of the oil field where my colleagues and I conducted a major field trial in the summer of 1978. Not much has changed in town although there are a few new stores, restaurants and a gas station!

Next stop: Big Piney. This is the town (population 404) where we stayed at the Big Piney Motel. Surprisingly the motel is still there!! Along with several new buildings which have popped up in the last three decades: a new elementary, middle and high school and even a Big Piney Fine Arts Center! And now there is the Big Piney Museum!! Add to this a new grocery store and a few new businesses (gas stations, restaurants, etc.) and you'd think there must be a lot more people living here nowadays. Surprisingly, however, the town's population has not changed much over the last 30 years!

The sign at the edge of Big Piney, Wyoming! This same sign was here in 1978!!

La Barge, Wyoming .... not much has changed in the last three decades.

An abandoned gas station .....

The same cafe in La Barge that we ate at 30 some years ago. Sadly it is closed!

Next, lunch in Pinedale. I ate at Stockman's Restaurant, after which I took a few more pictures of the surrounding area and then began the 165 mile journey returning to Rock Springs. I drove a total of 340 miles today in eight hours.

Dinner on Saturday was at the White Mountain Mining Company Restaurant. A nice local restaurant with good food.

On Sunday (September 20) I ventured south of Rock Springs and took in more of the Flaming Gorge reservoir and the surrounding areas.

So many unique rock formations .....

Never a dull moment when touring Wyoming!

Every time I turned a corner, there was another one of those "Wow" moments. So many truly amazing sights!

PS: One final word .... Coffee addicts, especially fellow bloggers, Madame Lefty and Ms. Cheryl, may be pleased to note that Rock Springs, Wyoming now has a STARBUCKS in town! The presence (or absence) of a chain coffee shop such as Starbucks in a town/city is one of my indicators of the presence (or absence) of 'civilization'!

Day 5 - Driving to WYOMING!

2009-09-18T22:09:00.005-05:00

Well, I have completed four of the six presentations scheduled for this first lecture tour! Turnout has been great - with the exception of the meeting in Vernal where only a small 'crowd' of eight folks showed up. I had about 100 people listening to me speak in Anchorage, 37 in Bakersfield and 62 in Denver. Thankfully, the next presentation on this lecture trip won't be until Monday (Sept. 21) and thus I have the entire weekend off to rest and recuperate. Instead of flying to my next stop, a colleague offered to drive me to Rock Springs, Wyoming. The drive from Vernal, Utah covered 110 miles and usually takes about two hours but took us about three hours as I wanted to stop frequently and take pictures along the way. This offer of a ride allowed me to cancel the flight (fright) on Great Lakes Airlines and simply drive to my next destination ... which is here in Rock Springs. It has been almost 30 years since my last visit to this wonderful state so I am looking forward to spending the weekend here and reconnecting with some of the same locations I first visited in 1978!

I departed Vernal, Utah at 9:30 am and headed north on Highway 191. We passed over the Flaming Gorge Dam (located in the northeastern corner of Utah - just below the border with Wyoming) and took in some truly wonderful scenery. I managed to snap a few pictures and you can see them here. Enjoy!

Wyoming reminds me of Alaska - a true frontier state with few people and a LOT of wide open land and wide open spaces. For someone like me who lives in a big city, this place is a welcome change in venue.

Day 4 of my Lecture Tour - VERNAL, UTAH

2009-09-16T23:21:00.010-05:00

Greetings from Vernal, Utah! Thankfully, my presentation today in Denver went extremely well and was attended by 62 people. Then came the fun part ---- a flight on Great Lakes Airlines flight #5125 from Denver to Vernal. Oh boy .. what an experience! A very small plane (seats only about 14 people; no toilet and no flight attendant!). Seemed as though most of the Great Lakes flights this afternoon were being delayed for maintenance reasons. Our flight was no exception. We departed Denver 35 minutes late and arrived into Vernal at about 8:38 pm Mountain time. A colleague picked me up and I checked in to a simple room at the Weston Plaza motel. Trust me, this place is nothing fancy! I walked across the street to a Walmart for some food and now it's time for bed to get some badly needed rest. Tomorrow I give my presentation yet again. The 'crowd' here in Vernal is supposedly going to be a LOT smaller than the crowds I had in Anchorage and Denver - they expect about a dozen people to show up at best! Ah well, c'est le vie! I'll give it my best no matter how many people show up!!

Thankfully, after tomorrow's presentation, I am allowed to rest up the weekend and I'll give two more presentations (in two other locations) next week before returning home to Houston. Sorry for not posting any photos but I have simply been so pressed for time!

More later ....
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UPDATE (Thursday, Sept. 17): I managed a reasonably decent night's sleep although I could have used a few more hours of rest. Still, the "show must go on" and my presentation is scheduled for tonight (Thursday) at 6:00 pm local time. By now, my nerves are settled and I have my lines fairly well rehearsed so that the flow of the actual presentation is quite smooth - if I say so myself!
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UPDATE (Thursday, Sept. 18): There were only eight (8) attendees present for my lecture. Apparently the Uintah section of the professional society to whom I was lecturing is so small that it is normally hard to coax members to show up for these monthly seciton meetings.

The weather today is excellent!! Sunny skies. Not a cloud around. Sadly, however, I have no rental car and hence must remain here at the motel (the 'Bates Motel' ??). I may walk outdoors a while just to get some fresh mountain air.
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Replies to Comments:
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Searching Soul: Thanks for sharing your concern about small planes! I wish I had a picture of the twin-engine propeller Beechcraft. This was a night flight and when one passenger turned off her reading light, the ENTIRE cabin became so dark that the star light outside the plane was brighter than the inside of our cabin!! At least the flight to Vernal from Denver was smooth. Mountain flights can be BUMPY. A colleague here in Vernal has given Great Lakes Airlines the nickname: "Great Mistakes Airlines"!! Or just "Great Frights"!! Care to book a flight?!
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Al: Indeed I will get some rest!! Keep up the woodworking!!

Day 3 of my Lecture Tour - DENVER, Colorado

2009-09-16T10:49:00.004-05:00

Here it sit preparing myself for my third presentation of this lecture tour. Today I am in Denver, Colorado. I flew in last night at 9:45 pm and after a 40 min taxi ride, I arrived at my hotel room (the Crowne Plaza Hotel in downtown Denver) at shortly after 11 pm. I managed to nod off to sleep OK and now - after a pleasant breakfast buffet - I am getting ready to walk over to the building next door where I must summon up enough energy and mental concentration to deliver my presentation (and answer all the questions thrown out after the talk) in a way that all the attendees can appreciate and enjoy. Sadly, there is not time to snap pictures and hence no picture to share with my postings. Perhaps I will catch up on my picture taking efforts sometime during this weekend!!

Update (Sept. 18th): A total of 62 section members showed up for my presentation!

Day 2 of my Lecture Tour - BAKERSFIELD, CA

2009-09-15T17:32:00.003-05:00

Just a short note to update my followers. I departed from Anchorage on Monday after delivering my 45 minute presentation and managed to catch an early flight out to Seattle and then it was onto a connecting flight to Fresno, California. I arrived at my motel room in Fresno at 11:30 pm and thankfully managed to drift off to sleep quick enought. After 6 hours sleep I drove 1.45 hours (113 miles) to Bakersfield and deliverd my presentation to 37 people.

Now I am awaiting my flight to Phoenix and then connect to Denver where I shall deliver my presentation tomorrow at noon. This lecture tour is physically quite tiring!

North to Alaska - My First Visit to Our Nation's 49th State!!

2009-09-13T22:04:00.004-05:00

Greetings from Anchorage, Alaska! (My first visit to the great state of Alaska!!!) I arrived here from Houston on Wednesday (Sept. 9) after a 7 hour flight. After some work on Thursday, I had two fun-filled days available to play tourist and take in some of the most wonderful scenery in America!! I will share just two photos in this post but will take more time later to share some additional photographic gems.

FYI: I am on a multi-city lecture tour starting with Anchorage. Once I start my first lecture (Monday, Sept. 14 is Day 1), it will be a different city each day so I am sure I will be rather tired and ragged and hence may not have time to blog until AFTER my entire lecture tour is completed. In the meantime, I hope all of my loyal followers will have patience. And wish me luck - I hope I have smooth flights and no missed connections all the way.

The bald eagle - symbol of the USA.

The face of the Blackstone Glacier in Prince William Sound off the coast of Kenai Peninsula (about a 1.5 hour's drive SE from Anchorage).

Replies to Comments:

John: Breathtaking indeed!! And, yes, it sure was cool standing on the deck of the boat! The tour guide explained that glaciers have their own weather. The prevailing outdoor temperature in Alaska that week was in the 50's (ca. 10 deg C) but at the face of the glacier I'd have to estimate it was in the 40's F (ca. 5 deg C). Still it was worth taking the time and making the effort to visit a glacier!

The Gravenstein Apple - A Vanishing Gem

2009-09-07T14:22:00.016-05:00

As promised in my prior posting, I just want to take a few moments to devote some space in my blog to tell my followers of the plight of the humble Gravenstein Apple - one of nature's finest creations! One of the highlights of my recent vacation in Northern California came on Monday, August 24 when I had the good fortune to get a first-hand view of apple production at two of Sononma County's largest apple growers.

My first stop came at Ratzlaff's "Apple-A-Day" ranch where one of the owners - Mr. Ratzlaff himself - pointed the way to two large bins containing some of the ripest Gravensteins ever - these apples are perfect for making apple sauce. Mr. Ratzlaff weighed out the 18 pounds of apples I had personally selected.

I purchased 18 pounds of orange-red Gravensteins .... puuuuurfect!!

The second stop came at Walker Apples. The young Mr. Walker was so kind and gave me a tour of his orchard.

During the walk through his orchard, Mr. Walker told me of the many problems he and the other apple packers in Sonoma County are facing. Turns out the USA is literally being flooded by a sea of imported apple juice from Asia! That, coupled with the rising value in grapes and the replacement of many orchards with vineyards is threatening to cause the demise of the Gravenstein Apple. Most folks who read this posting may not care about all this ... BUT if you have ever tasted a sweet Gravenstein apple, well, you would know of which I speak!! Sure there are many other apples sold in grocery stores, many quite satisfying. Sadly, however, Gravensteins are only grown in Sonoma County and if they stopped growing these little gems, that would represent a true loss in what the locals refer to as biodiversity.

For more details, I refer you to the following WEB sites:

http://www.sebastopolgravenstein.com/

http://www.slowfoodrr.org/ and

http://www.caff.org/

Walker Apples is the LAST actual apple packer in the county. There are still other orchards in the area but they only sell to the public directly and don't ship the apples around the country as does Walker Apples.

The finished product - delicious apple sauce. No sugar was required to make this sweet pleasure. Mmm-mm good!!

If you made it to the end of this posting, many thanks!!! I would certainly appreciate any and all comments!

And now - assuming all goes as scheduled - it is time for yet another trip! See you later this week ....

Sonoma County, California - Vacation, Gravenstein Apples, Redwoods ... and More Vineyards!

2009-08-30T18:58:00.008-05:00

Vacation Time!! Thanks goodness for vacations! Especially after a three-week business trip to the Middle East, this respite could not have come at a better time! The same family who invited me to stay at their home in Sebastopol, California (located in California's Sonoma County - a.k.a. "Wine Country), did so again this year and so I was blessed with another week in "Paradise". (For a glimpse of my vacation visit here last September, 2008, click here.)

I arrived on August 22. Although I had to depart this past Saturday, Aug. 29, I was still able to cram in as much as I could handle in six restful days of apple hunting, wine tasting, sightseeing and pleasantly cool daytime temperatures and even cooler nights. (I had to wear my sweater and jacket every morning much to the chagrin of my hosts!) Now that I have returned home, I will endeavor to post as many of the photos I was able to capture (using a Canon 50D digital SLR camera) over the past week. For now, however, I will leave my Loyal Followers with these preliminary photographic treats and will add more comments and pictures as the work week progresses:

On Wednesday (Aug. 26), I drove the 50 miles to Muir Woods Redwood Park and also managed to visit a park overlooking the Golden Gate Bridge - probably THE most photographed bridge in the world (and why not!).

While in Sebastopol, I had a successful scavenger hunt for the world's BEST apple - The Graventein Apple! I collected over twenty pounds (10 kgs) of the most ripe Gravensteins I could find from two major apple growers in Sonoma County. By the way, not only are these apples great for eating right off the tree, but they make excellent apple sauce! There is a lot I feel I need to say about this little humble little apple but will leave those comments for later this week. Trust me, there is a story to tell about the Gravensteins that I believe my followers will appreciate!!

Muir Woods - perhaps the best known of the redwood parks in California. Located in Marin County, this park is just a few minutes drive north of San Francisco and well worth a visit. (Caution: arrive early in the day as the tiny parking lot quickly fills up to capacity!!)

What makes Sonoma County what it is today more than anything else, are the hundreds of vineyards. I love visiting wineries and tasting some of the finest wines Northern California can produce (rivaling those of France in my humble opinion). Turns out there is a connection between these grape vineyards and the apple orchards that is worth a brief telling and I shall do so in a few days.

Enjoy the pictures ... there are many more soon to come!

(PS: This post marks my 101 posting for The Traveling Chemist! Many thanks to all my Loyal Followers!!)

Replies to COMMENTS:

John: Wow!! Finding that quote about the Gravenstein apple was really cool! Many thanks!! By the way, there is a Luther Burbank museum and farm in Santa Rosa, CA (population: 155,000).

HOMEWARD BOUND!!

2009-08-15T18:51:00.014-05:00

It's been a relatively "short" trip abroad as international trips go - only about three (3) weeks in duration. Still, it's always pleasant to be on the plane that carries me HOME! It must have been the fact that I was extremely busy throughout the entire period having only a few opportunities to sit back and relax (save for those nice weekends).

A view of the River Rhine as my flight takes off from Frankfurt Airport on Thursday, August 13.

Typical view of the departure area of Terminal "C" at Frankfurt Airport. Planes from everywhere going who knows where.

There is something special about these mechanical flight boards, with each and every one of the individual lines flipping over and over as they change the various numbers and letters. I suppose one day they will replace this huge board with a fully digital display. Still, it's always special (for me at least) to stand and watch this contraption for a few minutes, viewing all the many cities and places that people are flying to. And my flight home is one of these!!

And here is my flight to home - sweet - home! The door to the aircraft was closed on time (about 10:30 am) but we took off about one hour late (an allegedly "minor" mechanical problem). It was "wheels up" at about 11:40 am; we finally landed in Houston about 35 minutes late at 2:30 pm Central time (published arrival time was 1:55 pm). Not bad considering.

A display in the departure lounge of Gate C15 reminds one of all the many time zones we frequently must cross as we scurry about from one place to another ... and that gives rise to that dreaded physical affliction - JET LAG! (I am suffering that now!)

A classic Mercedes on display at Frankfurt Airport (this one was parked in one of the shopping areas located somewhere in-between Terminals "A" and "B").

In case you think the Traveling Chemist only eats at five-star restaurants, well guess again!! Most of the work week I prepare my own sandwiches. About once or twice a week, however, I venture over to what I call "Le Mess Hall" (shown above) and indulge in what I assure you is strictly average fare.

A typical menu at Le Mess Hall in Wafra Field.

That's it for now. Until next time .....

Replies to Comments:

SearchingSoul: Excellent quote and very appropriate! And, as always, thanks for taking the time to read my blog and for your comments. Us fellow travelers know what being away from home is like and, even though we usually enjoy the new horizons our many trips may offer us, how sweet it is to return!

Last Weekend in Kuwait (Aug. 7 & 8)

2009-08-09T03:42:00.016-05:00

Well, time sure has flown by! I've been here in Kuwait for almost three (3) weeks and it is almost time to return to home-sweet-home! But I managed to squeeze in one more nice weekend. I liked my visit to AVENUES last weekend that I chose to return again on Friday (Aug. 7). After the usual weekly grocery shopping, I ventured over to the new ENGLISH TEA LOUNGE (near the east end of the mall) with the hope of indulging in some nice tea and biscuits. However, I was rather disappointed when I read on their menu that there was a minimum per person charge of 6 KD (ca. $21 USD!!). Mind you I like fine tea but in view of the fact that it was almost time for lunch, I decided to pass this place by and instead opted for a decaf Americano at Dean & Deluca (see last week's post for details) for only 1.2 KD!

The new English Tea Lounge at AVENUES mall (near the intersection of the 5th Ring Road and Hwy 55).

After leaving the Avenues mall, we drove along the 5th Ring Road and passed by these water towers. Water is often considered to be more valuable than oil here in the Middle East and so it is no wonder they make these towers rather attractive.

I arrived at the new (3 years old) Holiday Inn in Salmiya at about 11:45 am and there I met a good friend for lunch at the hotel's Chinese restaurant - Tang Chao.

A rather attractive wall mural adorns the entrance lobby of the Holiday Inn.

This is where I had lunch on Friday. Cost for today's meal at Tang Chao was about 10 KD ($35 USD) per person.

Across the street from the Holiday Inn is a very distinctive looking mosque.

Have you ever seen a pink building before??!! Well I have now! (This unusual building is located near Fahaheel.)

Another interesting looking building.

The temperature gauge in my car last Thursday afternoon! The outside temperature was 50 deg C (or 122 deg F)!!! Now that's HOT!!

One of the cats I have been feeding chicken finally got up the nerve to come close enough to me to allow me to snap a nice picture of him lounging right outside the door to my apartment.

Replies to Comments:

Dan (& all the Other Followers Who Can't Believe It's Really 122 deg F!!): YES ... Kuwait (and the rest of the Middle East) really is HOT in the summer time!! Takes a lot of getting used to and staying properly hydrated! I wear a wide-brimmed hat and UV-protective sunglasses and SPF 85 sunscreen when outdoors (usually for periods that do not exceed 15 minutes).

UPDATE on Al Zour STARBUCKS Closing

2009-08-06T02:11:00.004-05:00

Well, I suppose it is a rather sad chapter in the life of all of us cofeee addicts! I have left several earlier posts about the closing of our local Starbucks in Al Zour (click here for a reference to that earlier post). A friend has informed me that this store is likely to remain closed FOREVER (or until a new owner is found!). According to the local scuttlebutt (i.e., the expat rumor mill), this store was apparently operated by someone who had a bogus (not real) franchise license from Starbucks and was therefore closed by the local authorities. The store is still there but the name and logo are now covered over. Sigh! At least there is another Starbucks within 20 minutes from Al Zour.

Second Weekend in Kuwait (July 31 & August 1)

2009-08-03T07:21:00.023-05:00

Time certainly flies by! So much to do and not enough time in which to get it all done. Thank goodness for the weekends. This last weekend (remember - over here our weekend is Friday and Saturday) was pleasant and relaxing.

On Friday I revisited AVENUES - Kuwait's newest and largest shopping mall. As a former New Yorker I was most pleased to see a new store has just opened (10 months ago actually) in the Avenues mall: Dean & Deluca ... New York City's gourmet food store!! This store originated in Manhattan and has sinced spread throughout the USA and apparently around the world as well. Caution: prices are quite high but it sure is nice to splurge a little and buy a few trifles to make life away from home just a tad bit more enjoyable.

The outside of Dean & Deluca is hard to miss at the AVENUES mall. By the way, the entire Avenues shopping complex is still under construction with new stores being added every month!

Part of Dean & Deluca includes a cafe. A tall decaf Americano costs 1.100 KD ($3.85 USD).

Fresh bread is made daily - including bagels!! Can you imagine - fresh bagels in the Middle East!! Now that is what every New Yorker needs!!!!

Lots of specialty teas are available (at a pretty price, of course!).

After my shopping was complete, a friend coaxed me to try a new restaurant in Mahboula - a town about 45 minutes norht of our Mina Al Zour camp. The restaurant was called Al Noukhaza - basically they serve a seafood buffet. Turns out Al Noukhaza also serves the seafood buffet at the Crown Plaza Hotel - a place I have been to and posted about on prior occasions. Having this new resturant nearer my place of residence is sure nice and I was grateful for making the effort for trying something new. All thanks to my friend Tony!

On Saturday (August 1) I had my haircut (3 KD). The rest of Saturday I spent relaxing at home and cooking up a chicken dinner and watching two of the DVDs I purchased a week ago ("Up" and "State of Play").

Last week they swept up the sand in front of my bachelor apartment and now the sand is absolutely clean and free of debris.

I spotted this view in a window above my favorite Pakistani tailor's shop in Al Zour village.

If you ever think your job 'sucks', well, here is a job for you! These guys come by every week and suck out the contents of the cess pool located behind our eight apartment units. Hold your nose .....

Last - but not least - I now have two (2) more friends visiting my apartment in addition to the black cat whose image I captured in my last posting. Once I fed them some chicken pieces, they keep returning day after day!

Postscript: I finally slew the bureacracy monster. With my insurance certificate in hand, I secured a company car (a Toyota "Prado") and was thus able to return the rental car for which my company had been paying about 21 KD/day ($75 USD/day).

Reply to Comments:

Nichole: Thanks for the comment! Yes, despite what many of my fellow Americans may think, Kuwait is indeed a pleasant place in which to work. As I often tell my friends, if you are an American who must work in the Middle East, Kuwait is probably the second best place in which to work! (The first is naturally Dubai - a true playground for adults with some money to spare! Just bring a credit card!) By the way, from what I read in the most recent posting from your blog, it would seem we have two things in common: we both like to travel and Houston is our home!

Searching Soul: Yes, the Islamic weekend revolves around Friday which is the Muslim Sabboth Day. Some places (Saudi Arabia) also have Thursday off. However, recently, most of the GCC states (including Kuwait and the UAE) have adopted Friday & Staurday as their weekend days to be more in sync with our Western work week schedule.

As for those cats, I figure that since life in the desert is so harsh, at least I can offer these fellas some chicken treats once in a while. Unfortunately, they are so cautious that these cats only briefly (and slowly) approach me, grab the food and run away to a more private location in which to devour their tasty delights.

Steve: Congratulations on your daughter!! And deepest condolences on the loss of your Mother! We both shared a deep loss last month: our mutual friend, Russ, and of course your Mom! Like you said in your blog, Heaven now has some more angels!

My First Week in Kuwait: Bureaucracy, Extreme Desert Heat and Doughnut Day!

2009-07-28T23:38:00.006-05:00

Hello again from Kuwait! I arived safely last Wednesday evening on time. Turns out Thursday (July 23) was declared a Holiday. The actual holiday fell on Monday (July 20th) but the Kuwaiti parliament (bless their hearts) decided to let everyone have a three-day weekend and made Thursday the actual day off for all workers. So I had three days during which time I was able to recouperate from the loooooong journey over here.

I ran around Fahaheel on Thursday and got in a little too much sun for my first day in country so I chose to stay home and rest all day on Friday. Saturday was my 'grocery-shopping-day-of-the-week' and also the day when a colleague drove me to Kuwait International Airport to pick up my rental car - a GMC Envoy. Then lunch at Applebees in Mangaf.

The first week here in Wonderful Wafra Field (located inside the Partitioned Neutral Zone - a strip of land between Saudi Arabia and Kuwait) has been rather hectic. One pleasant note: Tuesday was DOUGHNUT DAY! A local contractor has a tradition whereby they bring in doughnuts for us office people and we gorge ourselves on all that 'health food'. The doughnuts have all the basic food ingredients: fat, sugar, carbs ..... but they sure are Mmm-mmm good! The least pleasant note came also on Tuesday. I attempted to pick up my company car but a bureaucrat sniffed and said he needed to see proof of insurance. I replied that since I was a company employee, that should not be necessary. He said it was and without an 'insurance certificate', well, there'd be no car for the Traveling Chemist! Frustrated, I returned to the office and employed the help of our capable office admin person who - hopefully - will contact the appropriate people and secure whatever paper the bureaucrat needs and maybe (or "inshallah" as the locals say) I shall have my car by the end of this week. Maybe. Stay tuned. But that's the way things work over here in the Middle East. Once you solve one problem, the 'system' manages to create another roadblock somehow, someway!

For your information, the day time high temps have hovered around 115 - 120 deg F!

Until my next posting ....

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PS: The black cat, whose image I managed to capture above, graced my front door a few days ago. It stared at me for about one minute or so. Not sure if this is a good omen or what? What do some of my Followers have to say? Comments??

On the Road Again!!

2009-07-21T10:21:00.009-05:00

Well, it's THAT time again! Time to gather up my stuff, pack up my old kit bag and hit the road - so to speak. I am off again for more "fun in the sun". Once again, I tried to get a ticket on Emirates but they are still way overpriced in comparison to other airlines. Emirates is still asking for $8,500 USD for a round-trip business class seat!! Qatar Airways, which now operates a non-stop flight from Houston to Doha, is also considerably overpriced ($7,000 USD). Given the depressed US economy, the low, low oil prices and the need to cut costs within our company, I must choose my itinerary carefully and can only select from a list of 'approved' airlines (i.e., the cheaper the better!!). The airline I had to choose - once again - is good 'ol Lufthansa which is charging my company $5,000 USD. A relative 'bargain' in comparison to Emirates and Qatar Airways! Too bad ... I would have loved to try a different flight routing! Ah well, such is life!

I am packed, I got my sunscreen, wide brimmed hat, sun glasses, light weight clothing - all the essential items anyone needs for a visit to the summer-time desert climate of the Middle East. And of course I have printed out copies of my travel itinerary. Used to be I had to also carry along the actual plane tickets but I haven't used paper tickets anymore for the last few years! Everything is now electronic (except for when I had to have a paper ticket for a flight to Sumatra and Kalimantan, Indonesia in 2007). Has anyone had to use paper tickets recently??

Wish me luck and a pleasant flight! I shall check in with everyone at some point once I am settled in and rested ....

Some good news: I managed to snag an upgrade to FIRST CLASS using some of my United Airlines frequent flyer miles. Having a large seat in first class sure helped with the overnight portion of my journey ... although as usual I could not manage to sleep on board the flight.

We arrived in Frankfurt at precisely 9 am local time (7 hours ahead of Houston). Total flying time from Houston = 9 hours + 7 minutes.

I checked in to the Sheraton Hotel (as I have many times in the past). The Sheraton is across the street from the main terminal building. Very convenient!

Once again I had to use one of Lufthansa's famous toilets with a view!! Unlike the toilet I encountered last November (see Nov. 8, 2008 post) on another Lufthansa flight, this toilet (or "lavatory" in airline speak) had a lot of room .... a true walk-in affair .... almost enough room for two people! (Not sure why I mention that!)

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PS: Before concluding this posting, I couldn't resist taking this photo of a giant saxophone outside the front entrance of a now closed and bankrupt Houston restaurant near Richmond Ave. and Fondren Rd.

Happy Fourth of July

2009-07-04T10:56:00.011-05:00

The Fourth of July - the anniversary of American Independence from the UK!

The other day I reminded my good colleague in Scotland that I was taking the day off from work to celebrate my country's independence from England - hoping that would get a chuckle from him. Without missing a beat, and being the good Scotsman that he is, he happily replied: "I wish we could too"!!

Something seems nicer about today than prior Fourth of Julys. Maybe it's the fact we have a three-day holiday (with Friday off from work and then July Fourth itself falling on a Saturday), but today seems a wee bit more special than the usual Fourth of July. At any rate, it was a nice - but terribly HOT - day here in Houston. I am enjoying staying at home a while and not having to travel anywhere. [But fear not, followers, my next trip to the Middle East is not far off! I was supposed to depart in a little over a week from now but had to delay my departure thanks in part to an onslaught of work.]

I wanted to take in something special today, but what to do? Tonight there is what is billed as one of the largest fireworks displays in the USA being held near downtown Houston. Several hundred thousand people are expected to crowd into Eleanor Tinsley park. I'd like to go but I can't stand negotiating my way through heavy traffic and then trying to find a parking space. Instead, I went to downtown Houston near Discovery Park and took in the sights of people enjoying their Fourth of July ....

A yoga class ... probably should join them. With all the stress I have at work, I should fit in real nicely!

The past few weeks have seen unusually dry and HOT weather in Houston with our daily high temperatures exceeding 100 deg F for many days in a row! About the only good thing I can say about this heat is that at least I am getting acclimated to Middle East weather before actually leaving home!

Discovery Green Park - I was here in April of last year on opening day. [click here for last year's posting.]

A quiet pond affords a place for quiet contemplation and relaxation ....

I managed to snap this photo of some children frolicking in the water. Only wish I could have done the same to help me cool off.

The only sour note of the day came after I captured this photo. A private security guard approached me and told me not to take any more pictures since I "was not with a family". I guess this is for privacy concerns (parents not wanting their kids photographed, perhaps?). I am used to being a bit self conscious when taking pictures in the Middle East but here at home ... well, I sort of resent being asked NOT to photograph something. Still, I understand where kids are concerned. Being an amateur photographer myself, I'd be interested if any professional photographers out there might comment on any of their recent experiences in taking pictures and then being told not to.

Replies to Comments:

Searching Soul: Glad to hear you weren't arrested :-) It's getting so that we have to look over our shoulders when we take pictures in certain places ..... and sometimes those places are right here at home!

Dan: Thanks, as well, for your comments (both here and in your excellent blog) and for your opinions on the topic of photographing certain locations and situations.

John: Thanks for your comment!! Being hasseled by "security guards" - real or otherwise - is one reason I often feel inhibited when taking photographs .... especially when I am in the Middle East. You just never know how much authority the guard actually has and what he can do to a photographer.

Pictures from Long Island, New York

2009-06-19T12:39:00.019-05:00

Traveling for work has become a necessity for me. Although traveling for pleasure and vacation fun is not technically a "necessity" ... it is nonetheless quite essential and very beneficial for my spirit and mental well being! This latest vacation was both short and sweet. As promised, here are some highlights of my vacation on Long Island, New York last week.

The weather was great (for me, at least) although it was a little bit rainy. Still, I enjoyed the cool temperatures (20 deg C) which were a welcome relief from the unrelenting heat we have been experiencing here in Houston! Hope you find some enjoyment in these pictures and I very much welcome any comments!

[And please check out my previous posting which has a few photos from my venture into Manhattan.]

The beach scene near Sag Harbor, New York.

The above photo and the pictures below are all from Sag Harbor, New York.

Main Street in Sag Harbor.

A typical house in Sag Harbor. Sag Harbor has a very New England feel to it!

The Whaling Museum in Sag Harbor (located inside the Masonic Temple).

A cartoon at the Whaling Museum! This proves the oil companies are actually "green companies" after all!! Once oil became a popular form of energy and fuel for lamp lighting, the killing of whales for whale oil (mainly for lamps) stopped. So in a way, we can say that the oil companies have saved the whales!!! :-) (OK, OK ... please don't laugh too hard!)

The Customs House Museum in Sag Harbor.

A typical bungalow on Eastern Long Island. Fancy homes, exquisite lawns, expensive cars, etc. all typify this part of Long Island! In fact, the Hamptons are home to many famous celebrities who live in this area.

On the way home, my friend and I stopped in at the Duck Walk Vineyards (in Southampton, NY) where I purchased a 375 mL bottle of a 2007 vintage sweet wine called "Aphrodite" which is classified as a late harvest Gewurztraminer (11% by volume) 'dessert wine'. [The bottle with tax cost $20.58.]

The Ronkonkoma train station. I caught the Long Island Railroad here last Saturday (June 13th) and rode the entire way into Penn Station (mid-town Manhattan) for $19.50 (each way on weekends - higher during peak times).

A family-owned Italian restaurant in Hauppauge, New York that was near my hotel. I recommend the food served here!!

A portable air conditioning system at Gate A-2 in Terminal A in LaGuardia Airport. LaGuardia is definitely an old airport for sure and this temporary cooling system proves it is time for a major renovation at one of NYC's major airports!!

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Replies to Comments:

John:

(1) Many thanks for ALL your comments on this as well as on several of the earlier postings in my blog! The recent dearth of comments posted on some of my earlier postings has me wondering about what I can do to elicit the interest of my loyal followers.

(2) Yes, 50 years is a long time and I am so grateful to have known someone for such a long time and to still be able to call them friends!!

(3) And, yes, if you ever get to Houston, we can somehow arrange to meet and share a coffee and swap stories about blogging!!

Vacation in New York City and Long Island

2009-06-16T15:51:00.005-05:00

Greetings Loyal Followers! I have just returned from what has been a short but welcome respite from my work-a-day environment. I had the good fortune to visit two friends in the New York area whom I have known now for fifty (50) years!! I first met these two friends of mine in fourth grade and the three of us went to school together through our senior year in high school. Despite a long interval when we lost contact with each other, we've since managed to keep in touch for many of the past several years.

I arrived on Thursday (June 11) into New York's aging LaGuardia airport and drove 45 miles out to Long Island. Friday was primarily devoted to visiting my alma mater where I had spent four years in college. In addition, my friend and I saw the new movie "The Taking of Pelham 123". An excellent movie by the way!

On Saturday, I rode the Long Island Railroad into Penn Station [located in mid-town Manhattan] and the three of us took in the new Broadway play "9 to 5" - a remake of the 1970's movie. Excellent play, well worth seeing.

Sunday was spent touring Eastern Long Island and going through two little towns: Sag Harbor and Southampton.

A vacations is always fun, naturally. It gives me time to relax and forget about work. But the most important part of this particular vacation was seeing my two classmate friends again and celebrating the fifty years we have known each other. I have posted a few photos here for now but I promise will post many more pictures in the coming few days as time permits. (After all, I am back at the "rock pile" here at work and spare time is quite limited.)

Times Square in New York City - "Crossroads of the World"

The celebrated ball that drops on New Year's Eve, officially marking the start of the new year. I was surprised to see it still on display in mid-June!

Broadway and 42nd Street! Times Square - thought by many to be the center of New York City.

A recent innovation of Mayor Bloomberg - part of Broadway is now closed off and has been converted into a pedestrian mall. The city has even provided some lawn chairs for folks to lounge in. I sat in one and marveled at being able to sit in the middle of Broadway - normally a very busy thoroughfare in mid-town Manhattan.

One lucky fellow enjoying a snooze.

West Houston's Newest Bike Trail

2009-05-18T13:03:00.016-05:00

Even though I am currently at home and not traveling per se, I still take time out and travel around my home city. A case in point: On Saturday, May 16, I witnessed the official opening of Harris County's (West Houston) newest bike trail. This trail was under construction for about one year and culminated in the completion of the most critical segment which consisted of a bridge connecting both ends of the bike & walkway trail. The bridge is located near Eldridge Parkway, just south of Memorial Drive and is a part of Terry Hershey Park. The ribbon cutting ceremony took place at the bridge at approximately 10:30 am under bright, sunny skies. Now if I only had a bicycle to ride ......

The official opening of Houston's newest bike path!!

Several dozen bikers showed up for the event.

The bridge that connects both halves of the bike path. By the way, pedestrians are most welcome to use the pathway!

One of the speakers at the opening ceremony. (Sorry, I forgot his name!)

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Replies to Comments:

Donna: As of today (May 22), it's been two weeks since I returned from Angola and I have managed to get rid of all the jet lag. One bad note: I suffered the effects of food poisoning which I believe was caused by the food onboard the flight home! This was no doubt caused by the poor sanitation practiced by the food handlers who catered the World Airways flight home from Luanda.

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xoxc: Thanks for the kind remarks about Houston. Some visitors don't appreciate our city (the fourth largest city in the USA). Having lived here for almost 32 years, I too have developed a great degree of appreciation for what Houston has to offer its residents.

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SearchingSoul: Welcome back to the 'blogosphere'! Thanks so much for postng a comment. Always appreciated. I've checked your blog several times over the past few weeks and await your next posting!!

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John: YES! If you ever wander over to Houston, we can somehow arrange to meet and exchange stories about blogging!!

Trip to Angola - Epilog

2009-05-17T20:13:00.011-05:00

It's been nine (9) days since I returned from Cabinda, Angola. Using my rule of thumb which states that it takes about one day for every hour of time shifting associated with traveling between time zones, I have essentially recovered from the debilitating effects of 'jet lag' following my return trip home. As Dorothy said in the "Wizard of Oz", there is no place like home! In addition to eating at several of my favorite Houston restaurants (Pappadeaux's, Le Mistral, Hungry's and Bistro Le Cep), I've finally had some time to organize the photos I captured during my two-week visit to Malongo. Herewith I present the remaining highlights of my recent trip to Angola:

I spotted these guys near the Malongo laboratory.

The dormitory where I lived for two weeks. Just constructed and in excellent condition.

My home away from home. Well air conditioned, a fact which helps to keep the mosquitoes under control. I never spotted a single mosquito during the entire time I was in this room. Also important to note, despite my original anxiety, I could drink the water on Malongo. Never had a problem. And the food in the mess hall was quite satisfying.

Choppers galore! My room was next to the helipad where helicopters took off and landed throughout the entire day. Our oil production is offshore and hence these choppers provide the main mode of transport to get our people to and from our company's offshore oil production platforms.

The Houston Express. Departs Houston every Monday, Wednesday and Friday at about 12 noon CDT and arrives in Luanda the following morning at about 8 am Angola time (6 hours ahead of Houston time).

The Houston Express is operated by World Airways. Verdict: It's OK; nothing special. It gets you there! One pleasant aspect to note in the seating; the seats are arranged as 2 - 2 - 2 thereby avoiding any dreaded center seats in the mid-section!!

It's amazing how many places around the world I run across these hibiscus flowers!! This one was growing in Malongo camp.

The LONG Trip Out of Angola (And I Thought Getting Here Was Tiring!!!)

2009-05-10T18:49:00.007-05:00

Whoever said "Getting there is half the fun" probably never went to Angola! I thought the trip IN to Malongo camp was an "Ordeal"! Well, turns out the trip home was even more trying on my aging body!! Just for fun and also to share with some of my loyal followers what it can be like traveling to and getting around in "third world" countries, I will summarize the step-by-step process of my trip home to Houston. Getting from point A to point B in most western countries is usually simple. In Angola .... well, nothing is simple. First let me say that I am grateful to my company to provide the infrastructure that exists to get us expats in and out of Angola in a safe and relatively secure manner. Despite all my worries, everything ran on time and took place as it was supposed to. Still, it was a convoluted process and here is what transpired:

Thursday, May 7:

1:25 pm Angola time (Houston + 6 hours): My friend and colleague Aby arrives at my room and collects me and my luggage and we go by truck to the Hotel Malongo where we line up with our luggage and await an inspection by customs personnel. Then we go through our local immigration check and receive a blue card that allows us to bypass the Luanda immigration/passport control fellows (one immigration check is quite enough, thank you!). Then it's on to the travel desk to pick up my plane ticket for the flight from Cabinda to Luanda. Then I formally check out of the room where I have been living for the past two weeks.

2:30 pm: We get on a bus (poorly air-conditioned) and we depart Malongo for what will be a hot, bouncy 50-minute ride to the Cabinda airport (pictured above).

3:20 pm: We arrive at Cabinda Airport (see above photo). Amazingly this is a newly constructed airport. Well air-conditioned and seemingly well run. Why isn't Luanda's main airport just as new and clean??!!

4:20 pm: Our Dash 8 twin-engined propeller aircraft takes off on what should be only a one-hour flight to Luanda. Unfortunately the captain radios us that we are number 6 in line for landing and thus must circle the airport almost six times before we are finally cleared for landing in lovely Luanda. Groan!!

6:00 pm: Our plane pulls up to its parking area .... right next to the World Airways plane we will soon be heading home on. We collect our luggage and cram into a bus that takes us to the arrivals hall. When we pull up to the arrivals area, all of us grown men and women suddenly scramble off the bus and, with luggage in hand (I have a 50 lb suitcase and a carry-on in tow!), we have a mad dash around and around the arrivals terminal, through the parking lot (!) and then into the departure terminal and line up to check in to the WORLD AIRWAYS Houston Express flight. The check in process starts at about 6:30 pm. As we wait, we enjoy standing in line (about 25 people are ahead of me already) in the un-airconditioned terminal area with mosquitoes as an added bonus. (PS: use DEET spray to protect yourself. I certainly did! I also took Malarone once a day, every day during my stay in Africa.) In addition to our flight to Houston, there are two other flights this evening: one to Paris and the other to Lisbon. Naturally there are over a hundred perspiring people all standing in various lines that wind around the check-in area. When my turn comes, I approach a security person who asks me about a dozen questions; then a suitcase check followed by the actual check-in after which I claim my boarding pass. Then I proceed through the immigration area where I flash the blue card issued to me in Malongo and bypass the passport control booths. Hey, I am felling good. Oh wait, now I stand in line for 5 to 10 minutes to go through the X-ray screening process. Next, a member of the "Financial Police" ushers me into a small room where a pleasant man in uniform asks politely if I have any Kwanzas (the local Angolan currency) and I say "NO" (since exporting Kwanzas is strictly forbidden). He says "show me your wallet"; I do - naturally. Seeing I only have $14 USD, he says "bye bye" and I leave and walk upstairs with my 20-lb carry-on bad in hand and head to the business class lounge.

7:40 pm: I arrive at the Business Class Lounge! Mercifully, this place is well air-conditioned! Although, with three flights taking off in quick succession to each other (one to Paris, one to Lisbon and our flight to Houston), this lounge quickly becomes packed full of passengers! At least I have a seat! I sip a few drinks and relax.

8:45 pm: My friend Aby arrives in the lounge. Since Thursday is the heaviest crew change day of the week, all the folks rotating out today cannot be accommodated on a single aircraft. Hence, two planes are required to get everyone to Luanda. Turns out Aby got on the second flight from Cabinda. His flight arrived in Luanda at 7:10 pm.

9:12 pm: Our flight - the Houston Express - is called and I leave the lounge and scurry downstairs to Departure Gate #2.

9:20 pm: I go through a thorough security check (everything in my carry-on is inspected along with my shoes) and wait in the un-airconditioned gate area along with about a hundred other sweating passengers. (Are we there yet??)

10 pm: I get on a bus (what, no air conditioning in the bus??) which takes me to the plane and I race up the stairs with a smile on my face!

10:23 pm: The plane's doors are closed!

10:40 pm Angola time: Wheels up and we're off!!! Yippee!

Friday, May 8:

7:17 am CDT: After 14 hours and 37 minutes of flying, we land at Bush IAH - almost 40 minutes before our scheduled arrival time!!

7:50 am CDT: I leave the airport with my driver (and all my luggage).

8:35 am CDT: I arrive at my West Houston apartment. Finally .... I am HOME-SWEET-HOME!!!! I unpack briefly and GO TO BED at 9:30 am after being up without any sleep for approximately 35 hours!! Nightie night!!

My next posting will present some of the photos that I was able to capture during my stay in Malongo camp in Cabinda. Turns out I was unable to photograph too many places inside Malongo since I was told the local authorities don't look kindly upon people taking pictures within Angola. [Seems the Middle East isn't the only place where photography can be a tricky hobby!!] Anyway, I shall share with you some photos in the next posting - probably in a day or so from today. Until then, have a close-up view of the fruit bats literally 'hanging' around:

Images from Angola - West Africa

2009-05-03T07:01:00.003-05:00

Today is a Sunday (May 3rd) and so we only have a half day of work. I was invited to a BBQ where I was treated to some excellent fillet steak along with beans and potatoes. Mmmm - mmmm good!

Thanks to the slow Internet connection over here, I can only take time to upload two (2) photos - both unedited because I have no access to image editing software (no cropping or altering the contrast, etc.). So this will have to suffice for now, dear readers, until I return to home-sweet-home and can then upload a dozen or so more pictures for your delight. In the meantime, I hope you will find these two images of interest:

Bat City!! If you click on the photo and look carefully at the dead tree stumps, you will see dozens of fruit bats clinging to the tree, hanging upside-down!!

Looking out from my office window this is what I gaze upon!! Is this a view or what??!! So far, the weather has been generally warm/hot and fairly humid. Since I arrived over a week ago, there has been no rain ..... but that is fine with me. Rain can be very heavy at times (when it rains it pours). FYI: I am told the "dry season" starts on May 15!

And now it's off to my room for a rest. Until next time .....

Angola (West Africa)

2009-05-01T10:44:00.005-05:00

Greetings from Cabinda, Angola! Actually I am working in our company's Malongo campsite inside Cabinda. Malongo is the 'nerve center' of our offshore oil field operations and is almost like a small city with a population of anywhere from 1,000 to 3,000 workers/inhabitants. Almost everyone works on a 28/28 "rotation" schedule: they come in from around the world (Angola, South Africa, other African countries, the UK, Portugal, Thailand, Middle East and the USA), work for 28 days (every day, 7 days a week) and then go home for 28 days. We normally adhere to a 6:00 am to 6:00 pm work schedule! Very tiring.

With all the many nationalities represented here, this place is like a mini-United Nations! I wish I can share a few pictures with all my followers - and I will real soon - but currently I am suffering from "IT issues" - mainly a real slooooow Internet connection. Once things improve, I will upload a few photos (taken with a new Canon Power Shot SD880 IS pocket-sized digital camera with 10 mega pixels capability).

One of the main attractions for me has been the thousands of fruit bats and a few monkeys. On the way to dinner at 6:30 pm, the sky is filled with hundreds of fruit bats coming awake and going out for a night's worth of hunting. On the way to breakfast (5:30 am) the bats are returning to their appointed trees and settling in for a day's sleep. As I said before, I'll try to capture the spirit of this location and post a few pictures as soon as I can catch my breath and find the time to upload my pictures. Sunday is a half-day (6 am to 11 am) so I may find a little opportunity at that time. Until then ..... ta ta for now.

A Return to Africa!!! (After Eight Years)

2009-04-26T07:37:00.003-05:00

First let me say that I do like traveling ... but it's just that I absolutely HATE the seemingly endless trips that take me from Point A to Point B. Once I have had some time to get some blessed sleep and adjust to my new time zone, I am generally OK. But it's the trip over to where I need to go that's a real drag! Take for instance this trip. Many years ago I worked a rotational assignment in northwestern Angola (28 days on- 28 days off). Now, after an absence of over eight years, I have returned. In the old days (1998 - 2001) I had to travel on Air France from Houston to Paris and then from Paris to Luanda. Including a night layover at the Sofitel Hotel at Charles deGaulle, that trip took four days! Now, however, we have the Houston Express run by a contract airline called World Airways. We board the plane in Houston (no tourists ... just businesspeople and "oil field trash" types are on board the plane) and after about 14 hours, we alight in Lovely Luanda, the capital city of Angola. Then it's a mad dash to immigration (everyone wants to be first in line!!) where I hand in my short-term visa documentation to the nice man at the Immigration desk. He takes my passport and tells me to "wait over there" until my visa is actually stamped into my passport. That little deal took 30 minutes. Then I grab my suitcase from Baggage Claim (it took almost 30 minutes for my suitacse to finally appear!) and rush over to the desk where I check in to the short flight from Luanda to Cabinda - the little enclave of Angolan territory nestled inside the Congo.

We depart Luanda and arrive about an hour later (after a stop in Soyo) and then - after yet another immigration check in Cabinda - we take a 45 minute bus ride (thankfully in an AIRCONDITIONED bus!!) into our Malongo camp. By then I am totally drained of energy. Then we get off the bus, I pick up a key to my assigned camp residence and WALK over to my "home away from home" and CRASH! I try to relax after this 25 hour door-to-door travel event. What an Ordeal .... with a capital "O"! The things I do to make a living!

I know many of you dear readers may think that international travel is "exotic" and somehow attractive but let me assure you, this is the part of international travel I absolutely HATE! I only hope I can catch up on some badly needed sleep and THEN and only then can I start to enjoy my new surroundings, meet new people (plus get reacquainted with folks I haven't seen in almost 8 years!) and start to do the work that got me over here on this trip.

I hope I can make more postings as my stay here in Angola progresses. And most important share some pictures! I already have pictures of zillions of fruit bats hanging upside down in tress. What a sight to behold. At dusk, the sky is filled with thousands of bats!!

Oh well .... time for a nap. Yawn!!

Houston IFEST - April 19, 2009

2009-04-22T13:31:00.011-05:00

Every year Houston has an International Festival - commonly referred to as IFEST - which promotes cultural awareness. This year's IFEST centers around Ireland. What with my upcoming international trip (groan - yet another exercise in sleep deprivation!) looming ever closer (I expect to depart Houston this Friday, April 24th for a continent I have not been to in over eight years!), I needed a break and so I ventured downtown and attended Sunday's IFEST activities (entrance fee = $15.00). The weather was picture perfect (blue skies and moderate temps) and so I offer a few pictures of the event.

Although the IFEST features many countries exhibits, this year's event was centered around IRELAND.

Irish pipers entertained the crowds by playing many Irish (and Scottish) tunes during the day's activities.

The event opens at 12 noon (Saturday and Sunday for each of two weeks in late April) and by 1:00 pm it was packed with people!!

Always a favorite with me ... the so-called "Henna" artists. Nice to look at but this one doesn't appear to share my wish to take her picture!

Much of the IFEST is basically a "flea market" with numerous artists selling their handiwork. Here is one very attractive and unique piece of art.

The IFEST is held in downtown Houston near the Central Public Library and next to Tranquility Park.

While waiting for the festival to open at 12 noon, I ventured a few blocks south over to where my company has its two main headquarter buildings - what I sometimes refer to as "Enron #1 and #2". (My colleagues hate it when I refer to our downtown building as "the Enron building"!) Although Enron is long gone, its memory lives on in the minds of many a Houstonian .... a grim memory for sure. At least we are making good use of their fine structure. If you look carefully at the building on the left, you can still pick out a few windows that remain to be fixed since being damaged after Hurricane Ike in September of 2008.