rodney

October 18, 2010August 9, 2022

A brief look at the Shanghai Expo

Vancouver International Airport (YVR/CYVR), Ri...

On a whim (back in May), I purchased some round trip tickets from San Francisco to Hong Kong via Vancouver on Air Canada. The all in price was US$600 which is a real bargain!

It’s one hell of a positioning flight but it put me within 2.5 hours of Shanghai and the Expo. I cashed in miles for a Business Class roundtrip on Dragonair. Due to a really tight schedule, I spent a total of 8 days away from my house which meant only 3 days in Shanghai, which were filled with debauchery, closing bars and getting back late late.

But more about the nightlife later. On the last full day in Shanghai, I visited the Expo. If I could take one memory back from the Expo, it would be queues. Lots and lots queues. All of them shared one thing; that they were really looooong!

So instead of showing you boring pictures of a never-ending queue, I’ll instead show you some pix of the Expo at night.

All roads in the Expo lead to the China pavilion.

It’s deceptively large. That means that you can see it from everywhere and it looks kinda big. Then when you are next to it, you realize it’s REALLY big.

This is at the perimeter fence. There’s still more walking to get to the China Pavilion.

Now we are too close. I like the detail on these beams.

The China pavilion will be one of the permanent structures of this Expo; it dominates the Expo and is located smack in the middle of the Expo site.

As you move away from the China pavilion, the rest of the regions of the world present themselves. You walk through Europe then Latin America. Here you can see the Brazil pavilion with what is supposed to be a soccer game but is actually a Windoze error message on the jumbotron. Embarrassing! For Microsoft…

Asia Pacific was represented at the Shanghai Expo.

North Korea and Iran were next door to each other (!)

Besides the exhibits, such as this replica of the Juche Tower in Pyongyang, there were vendors selling currency and stamps, which are in demand by collectors.

Australia’s looked…antiseptic and modern.

India’s pavillion looked neat. Both traditional and modern culture

Of course, if you survive the 25 minute trudge from the China pavilion, you will reach the last zone, the Americas. The Canada pavilion actually looked the best; the US pavilion looked like a big advert. Also, no VIP entrance for US passport holders. So no visit.

Since it was late when we finally got there, we got to do a quick tour through the Expo, only stopping off in countries that didn’t have a queue. All the ones above, save North Korea’s had huge queues so we couldn’t visit. The next Expo is in 10 years. Will plan better then!

October 18, 2010August 8, 2022

Wow, still out there!

So it’s been a while since I’ve updated. I’ve been the great procrastinator but last night, as I was watching Sunday Night Football, I moved my blog and domain to a new, more (Movable Type) friendly webhost. So now entries may resume…

UPDATE: Since my new webhost is MT friendly, many of the plugins that require back end support that 1&1 refused to support now work. Picture resizing now works and most importantly, the virtual tide of comment spam that I’ve endured for the last year has ceased and updating and republishing this blog no longer involves a 500 error after 5 seconds. Yay.

October 6, 2010August 9, 2022

Roaming in China? Maybe…

Image by warrenski via Flickr

Staying in touch is more important than ever in this fast fast go go world. And for that, the luxe flashpacker uses local prepaid SIM cards. In most countries, it’s pretty easy to purchase a local SIM. Walk into 7-11, walk out with a new local number that’s a bargain to make calls and even more so to send SMS on. Some of these SIM cards even allow you to roam, making and receiving calls and SMS, albeit at a really expensive rate.

Sometimes it’s not necessarily worth the bother to purchase a local SIM for a 3 day trip; that roaming will be fine since all that will be sent is SMS. That’s what I thought on my recent trip to Shanghai via Hong Kong. I have maintained a New World Mobility prepaid roaming SIM for a few years now. I can receive and make calls/SMS in the US and Singapore with it. Considering that mainland China is 40 minutes away via KCR, it should work there too, right?

Nope. As soon as I landed PVG, I turned on my phone and tried to call my friend who was to meet us at the airport. I manually selected China Unicom and CMCC (China Mobile) and registered on their networks respectively and tried to make a call. China Unicom said my call was “Barred” and China Mobile asked me to pay my bill. No roaming this trip. SMS went through fine both ways. No calls. So what to do? After having to make a call desperately, I fired up my AT&T Sim locked iPhone and made a 1 minute $4.00 phone call. No more!

When I returned to Hong Kong, I picked up a new prepaid from Peoples (AKA China Mobile HK). They have a prepaid that has China roaming, slightly cheaper prices for aforementioned roaming and most interestingly, a Guangzhou phone number in addition to the HK number. Since it’s part of China Mobile, it should work over there. And we will see in December…

May 17, 2010August 8, 2022

Experiment: Nexus One update! Does it play well with prepaid?

Update on the Nexus One experiment. Google has thrown in the towel, admitting that selling these phones on the internet, sight unseen and at full price (unlocked) was not successful. More here. I think that selling an unknown quantity such as the Nexus One was one of the reasons why it didn’t take off. This sales model could work with a known commodity (iPhone) that would justify its full price (unlocked). So if you want a Nexus One, be prepared to deal with “incentivized” sales drones…

Now, here’s my recap traveling with the Nexus One on my Asia rounds.

Singapore/StarHub Green: In Singapore, I have a prepaid SIM from StarHub that I’ve maintained (recharged to keep my number) for 7 years. Each time you recharge, your number stays active for 6 months afterwards. StarHub has a new recharge called “Happy Stars” (yes, that’s its real name) that gives you 120 minutes, free incoming calls and 30 MB of 3G data, all to be used in Singapore and lasts for 30 days. Perfect for an unlocked smartphone! The StarHub network was adequate. Data speed was fine, averaged 800 mbs downspeed. All my apps on the N1 worked. GPS and navigation was fantastic. One minor hiccup is that Google did not program the N1 with the APN info for the Singapore carriers. Strange since the N1 has been officially released there. I found the info on the net and plugged it in. All worked fine. This becomes important later because in Hong Kong, I couldn’t get onto data. In Singapore, it’s “success”.

Hong Kong/New World Mobility (CSL) International Roaming Prepaid: I have also maintained a prepaid line in Hong Kong for several years. AFAIK, NWM is the only carrier in Hong Kong that still that has free IDD (dial 1678) to first tier countries. On previous visits, I used an older Sony Ericsson phone, the K850 in Hong Kong. It was one of a few phones that SE made that was quad-band GSM and tri-band HSDPA which usually means it will work in the USA. I purchased that phone in Hong Kong and it may have been provisioned with NWM APN settings. When I use my SIM with that phone, I get a big “H” on the top of the screen and I can access the internet. When I put the SIM into my N1, no data. It made calls and SMS just fine. Just no data. I needed to research what the APN settings are and verify that these settings are here in the N1. So in Hong Kong, it’s “inconclusive”.
I’ll post my opinion on the Android OS compared to the iPhone OS later.

May 17, 2010

Ding Dong the Arse is gone

That’s the British spelling of course. Because now that Gordon Brown is gone, my vow not to visit the UK is over.
I took this vow a few years back when shortly after taking office, Brown imposed an £80 airport tax for people who fly in “premium” cabins and a £40 tax for those in economy. Either way, it’s an outrageous tax that was supposed to be “for the environment”. Except after the first year of the tax, forensic accountants found out that the money collected went to the general fund, instead of the “environment”. As a result, I vowed not to visit the UK until Brown was tossed out.
Except now we have Cameron, allegedly a Tory that sounds more like a limousine liberal. If he’s truly a Conservative, how about repealing all those airport taxes imposed during his predecessor’s regime?
If he doesn’t pan out, maybe they can draft Jeremy Clarkson for PM? It’s not like if it hasn’t been tried before. His manifesto reads a bit libertarian to me…

April 10, 2010

Guangzhou impressions

Canton (Guangzhou) has a lot of history. The treaty ports were here. The Opium Wars were fought here. The sparks that led to the 1911 Revolution were, erm, sparked here. Many of the first generation Chinese-Americans from back in the day migrated from here.

One of the few colonial-esque buildings left on the Pearl River. This ain’t the Bund…
Despite being a pivotal part of modern Chinese history, modern Guangzhou is, like the rest of urban China, a construction zone with new high rises and an aspiring populace. I’m currently staying at the Grand Hyatt in the Tianhe new town. This area eventually will be the new CBD and looks like they’re building on the Pudong model.
Two pleasant surprises greeted me when I did my 6 mile walk last night; the Guangzhou Metro is surprisingly clean and quick (the downside is that it begins to shut down at 2230!) and Shamian Island, which despite also being a construction zone, still oozes historical charm due to the colonial buildings still there, warmly lit treelined streets and lots of couples meandering about. Almost like the opposite of what modern China is and a welcome respite.
But that’s the past. Let’s look at the present, which is my stunningly modern room at the Grand Hyatt.

The layout of the room is different; you enter the room through the bathroom with the glass walled shower being directly behind the head of the bed with a couch at one side and the desk/TV on the other. Mounted on the wall is an iPod dock that is hooked up to the TV so you can listen through its sound system. I like!

The afforementioned shower/bath is directly behind the bed and is a wet design. You walk inside, close the door and fire up the shower, getting everything wet. I like too! It also has a square shaped tub which if you were to decide to have a soak, you’d have to sit cross legged. Not a fan of that.

The side room that has the bog has a square shaped very kawaii sink so you can wash up in there. Neat. And inbetween the shower and the closet wall is an island with a sink and mirror. Think of it as a kitchen island except you brush your teeth, gargle and shave here. Very nice! Think I will stay here again on my next visit here.

Grand Hyatt Guangzhou
12 Zhujiang West Road, Pearl River New City, Tianhe District,
Guangzhou, People’s Republic of China 510623
http://guangzhou.grand.hyatt.com/

March 24, 2010August 8, 2022

Experiment! Nexus One

I currently live in the US and I have an iPhone. I like my iPhone. The apps you can download to it can be extremely useful (or extremely dumb), it works well, the design is great and it’s easy to use. These are the traits that made the iPhone a market transformer.
However, since I’m in the US and stuck with AT&T as my carrier (since they have the exclusive to the iPhone here), there are some serious downsides. In the US (unlike Singapore, for example), the iPhone is SIM Locked. Fine. AT&T does that to all their phones. So wait until your contract is up and get it unlocked. And AT&T does that for every other phone EXCEPT the iPhone. A call to Customer Service blames Apple. A call to Apple blames AT&T. So in the end, the status quo remains and the problem isn’t solved. It’s not like this in Europe where people whose contracts are up have their phones unlocked via Carrier Update that is synced with iTunes. The carrier update is sent by Apple by request of the carrier. And AT&T ain’t doing it.
Of course, if you want an unlocked iPhone, you can always jailbreak and unlock it. The problem is that sometimes the jailbreaking process kills certain functions, like push notifications. All things being equal, it’s best to get an unlocked phone unlocked from the factory.

The box and packaging is very Apple-like.

Which brings us to the Nexus One, an Android powered device sold direct and unlocked. Since practically all phones in the US are sold with a subsidy that justifies the SIM lock, this is a first over here. For the past few trips back to Asia, I’ve been using an original iPhone (EDGE data) that’s been nothing but a glorified phone since there’s no 3G data and no GPS. The point of using a smartphone is to make your life easier and more efficient. So this trip, I will take the Nexus One with me, keeping notes on how useful it can be using prepaid services in various countries. So let’s see how it goes…

March 18, 2010

Fly into SFO instead of LAX if you’re coming from Oz?

So the SF Airport publicity team released a Australia-targeted video touting SFO’s charms over LAX’s, although not naming the latter specifically.

It’s merely called “the other airport” and since flights from Oz go to either SFO or LAX, it’s not hard to figure out what airport the video is calling out. This is the most obvious example of airport competition in the US, although since they practically all suck rocks, it’s a matter of advertising how much less airport A sucks compared to airport B.
True, LAX is a deep dark hole with no facilities and in some areas, very old, outdated and sketchy (if it’s possible to be that way while still remaining an airport). The train connection is a 20+ minute ride from the terminals and you have to wait forever to get from one end of the airport (say, Terminal 7) to the International Terminal (TBIT) because all there is to get you there is a bus. One. That’s it.
SFO is not all peaches and cream either, despite the upbeat tone of the video. First off, the nicer, more modern planes (like the A380) fly into LAX. Why? Because LAX has the runways and the jetways to handle the big fat hen. SFO’s International Terminal, despite being designed for the A380, does not have the runway space (due to inbound parallel runways too close to each other) for landing nor the long runway needed for takeoff. A few years ago, Mayor Brown proposed to build a new runway that would need a tiny bit of reclaimed land. The environazis whined about “wanting to fill in the bay” and got the plan killed. So SFO wants more flights without having to provide more space. Typical.
The video goes on to show typical happy things, like a BART train, flight attendants riding kick scooters in the terminal and waiting with you for your baggage and for the eco-mentalists, a ~~Pious~~ Prius taxi being held open by Mayor Newsom. Some caveats: You will pay US$8.10 for a 30 minute, 12 mile ride on trains that show up every 20 minutes. If you choose to take a cab, you will pay close to US$65.00 including mandatory optional tip to get downtown. And contrary to popular belief, relatively few of the taxi fleet are Piouses.
LAX is definitely a hole. Transit from the airport is such a non entity, you either get a local to get you or you rent a car. Since you’re down in LA, you will need a car anyway. SFO, the International Airport is probably the nicest in the USA. The building is new (2001) and it’s reasonably thought out. However, the connections to the airport still suck rocks if you insist on taking transit. The best way is to get a local to collect you and to buy said local brekkie/lunch/dinner/supper for the ride into town.
So if you’re coming to California from Oz, take the advice of a fellow flashpacker. Fly into the airport that is near where you want to visit. And on the airline that can upgrade ya!

January 7, 2010

Damn Fast (and Damn Nice)

I’m spending my last night in Tokyo at the Sheraton Miyako in a standard room on the 6th floor. A lower floor again but I get a view of the neighborhood. The hotel is next door to a Toyopet dealership and at the bottom of the hill from the Shirokanedai Station off of the Namboku Line. The lobby has an early 60s design that would fit in the world of Mad Men or 花樣年華. It doesn’t look retro; it was probably how it was built many years ago and spotlessly maintained since. My room was recently remodeled and was quite comfy and plush. I can only imagine how the “nice” rooms look like.

The bed is awesomely firm, like most nice beds in Asia. The opposite of North America…

Nice desk and loafing couch. I think that’s the same TV I have in my bedroom.
Internet here is free but wired. Check out the speed!

Damn fast!

Sheraton Miyako
1-1-50 Shirokanedai Minato-ku
Tokyo, Japan 108-8640
Phone: +81 3 3447 3111

January 2, 2010December 30, 2022

Contrast at Coffee Time

Starbucks at Roppongi Hills West Walk.

I think kimono should be the new dress code