Up In The Air .... Part 42

Up In The Air moments comes to you from FL330 above the South China Sea enroute from Melbourne to Hong Kong, on board Cathay Pacific's CX134!

The haze of Melbourne, earlier this morning, has given way to absolutely clear skies over the South China Sea...

The shadows of the clouds on the sea are amazing...

Nature never ceases to amaze, and it looks so peaceful from up here...

But down below, sovereignty of these waters is deeply contested. And nations come up with fanciful and esoteric arguments in support of their claims such as the Nine-Dash Line...

And I hope not, but there could be a potential for international conflicts down there...

And that could potentially be nasty!

Descent into Hong Kong begins...

And the outlying islands emerge almost magically out of the haze...

And I am eagerly peering out of the window waiting for the Hong Kong skyline to show up!

Melbourne Ahoy!

After an exciting, extended round of Plane Spotting at Incheon, thanks to the delay caused by Typhoon Nida, we finally boarded...

And I am flew Cathay Pacific from Incheon to Hong Kong with a short connection on to the Cathay Pacific red-eye flight to Melbourne...

Settling in at Incheon after boarding with some IFE - Hong Kong's newspapers - the South China Morning Post and The Standard...

Hong Kongers got two-days off and Chep Lap Kok was closed due to Typhoon Nida, but the SCMP reports that HK is quickly back on its feet, much in the same way that Mumbai bounced back in no time after the cloudburst in 2005. I can say the energy and vibrancy of cities like Hong Kong and Mumbai is unmatched...

There is no fun being in East Asia without a dose of spicy geopolitics. Recently South Korea deployed the American anti missile THAAD system to protect against attacks from North Korea. China saw that as an infringement of their sovereignty (O really? Is North Korea Chinese territory?) and went on a diplomatic offensive, and initiative was censoring Korean soaps (Descendants of the Sun, included) and K-Pop...

Ouch... that would have pained the Chinese!

I had a short connection at Chep Lap Kok - just under two hours. But we took off from Incheon with a delay of nearly 75 minutes, eating into the connection time. The lovely Cathay stewardesses assured me that due to tailwinds, the flight time into Hong Kong would be shorter by 30 minutes and they would message the ground staff at Chep Lap Kok to accommodate me, if we get late further.

Thankfully, the flight landed in Hong Kong as the stewardess assured me but taxiing to the gate took long. Luckily, she got the ground staff to arrange a fast forward for me as we deplaned. That's classic hospitality, Asian style!

I made it to my gate - Gate 71 just in time - boarding was already half-done. The staff confirmed that my checked-in bags were already loaded! I was amazed by Cathay's efficiency here - they transferred bags within 45 minutes, which is amazing! And I was good to board...

The flight into Melbourne's Tullamarine Airport would take about 10 hours. And for me that is 10 hours of undisturbed sleep and relaxation after weeks of long sleepless nights in Songdo, with no IFE. But for other passengers, it was going to be an interesting night of entertainment on Cathay's IFE!

Plane Spotting as we taxiied. And there is the beauty from Plaisance - Air Mauritius' Airbus A340. And who can forget that lovely flight Neeti and I had on their A340 christened Cardinal from Plaisance to Mumbai way back in October 2005!

Air China Boeing 737...

A grainy shot of a Thai Airbus A330 and a Cathay Pacific Airbus A330 in their new livery...

Cathay Pacific Boeing 777...

As we taxi towards the runway, I am reminded of the quote: "A mile of highway will take you a mile, A mile of runway will take you anywhere!"

The flight path - we would overfly Filipino and Indonesian airspace before we enter Australia over the Northern Territory...

Taking off from Chep Lap Kok...

A lovely view of Hong Kong...

Ships below us making their way to Victoria Harbour...

And it's time for me to catch up on some sleep. I hope to wake up early and watch the sunrise. Till then happy snoozing!

It’s Indeed More Fun In The Philippines...

This afternoon I headed out of Mandaluyong district for Malate, which is Manila's premier destination for commerce and tourism.

I had a meeting there at 4 PM and was planning to leave at 3 PM. However at 11 AM, I got a call from my counterpart, who suggested that I come in early by 3 PM, because traffic could get bad, really bad, by late afternoon.

I thanked him for his kind gesture and agreed, afterall it would save me a big hassle!

So I set out at 1.30 PM, called a Grab Taxi in true Manileño style. Grab Taxi is super efficient, clean and convenient. My taxi was in within 10 minutes and I was on my way to Malate.

And then the traffic of Manila hit us, delaying us and making me a bit edgy. The driver, a gregarious and loquacious localite, suggested that we take a detour and I agreed, as we were getting very late.

I agreed, happily!

These look like buildings of Mumbai...

Clouds come in...

Jeepneys, bikes and cars - you see it all in Manila!

And we snaked through the lower-end neighbourhoods and then this chappie took one wrong turn, violating a traffic rule. And guess what, there was a traffic cop right there who flagged us down.

The driver grinned at the cop and made all kinds of sheepish excuses in Tagalog.

And then he stepped out, took the cop behind our car, engaged in a 5 minute long animated conversation and came back beaming! 

"I paid 50 Pesos! No fine, just a gift!"

Aha, that's sounds like Mumbai, and not the very proper and always correct Korea!

With the meeting successfully concluded, it was time to head back to Mandaluyong. But now, the journey was smoother, but lacking the fun I had in the afternoon!

The sun was setting as I approached Mandaluyong...

A premium locality near Mandaluyong...

Getting back to the hotel, it was time to relax a while and I caught up with the day's news. And there seems to be a lot stirring in what China considers its lake!

And the good news, Neeti is coming in tonight from Incheon. So while I will attending to my work here, Neeti will spend a while visiting the lovely countryside around Manila, for the next 2 days! After a quick dinner, I headed out to Ninoy Aquino International Airport to receive Neeti, as she flew in.

And guess what, the terminal resembled the old Terminal 1B of Mumbai - sweaty, noisy and crowded, but full, full of positive energy.

Can I say I am missing Mumbai after all the traffic, the fun on the way to Malate and the chaotic terminal? Well, in a sense I am getting homesick.

It’s Indeed More Fun In The Philippines...

It’s More Fun In The Philippines...

Today's trip around Manila city's historical sites was indeed interesting. 

My guide in my discovery was Malung, a middle aged Pinoy lady who showed me around the city.

And a lot of what I had felt about the pulse of Manila, over yesterday and today, was reinforced by Malung told me. It was evident that the Filipinos aren't in an ideal situation economically. They too face issues similar to what have historically had in India - philandering politicians, indifferent and corrupt bureaucracy and infrastructure that woefully hasn't kept pace with the times. 

But despite these issues, the Filipinos keep their spirits high. The whole vibe of the city was frenetic and energetic unlike the despondency I had seen in a place like Kuala Lumpur!

That's what Malung also confirmed in her conversations with me.

She was curious about India and its traditions. As expected I gathered that there was quite  bit of curiosity about the dynamism of the Modi administration and Malung hoped that Rody Duterte would evolve into the Modi of the Philippines. Frankly I am not sure about Duterte, but people do change, they do change when they assume office, some positively, some negatively. 

In Malung's questioning about India there was an underlying positive inquisitiveness which changed to abject sense of anger when I prodded her on China. The sense I got was the Filipinos deeply resented the "might is right" attitude of the Chinese when it came to the bullying going on in the South China Sea. Deep down they also didn't believe that United States would honour its often stated security commitments to the Philippines which they felt was a mere lip service.

The perception of India and China couldn't be so stark. While China is seen as a bully and is feared, India's rise as a world power is being seen positively here and it's time the Modi administration serenaded Philippines much like they are attempting with Vietnam.

On the social side, Malung's concern was on jobs. Educated Filipinos find few opportunities at home and have to head out to the Middle East, Singapore, Hong Kong, Brunei and Korea for work. Most of them go as labour and household support and a tiny few as skilled or white collared workers. Filipinos are preferred for their professionalism and their English language skills (like India, almost everyone learns English here). And I agree with the fact that Filipino household helps are extremely professional as we have experienced in Songdo.

But the outflow of workers creates a social issue back home. Relationships go for a toss and that assumes significance since as a deeply devoted Roman Catholic nation they do not allow divorce under law. A legal separation is allowed but remarriage is illegal - so when people cohabitate after a legal separation the kids grow up confused. Complicating matters is the fact that that abortion is looked down upon in society.

And returning workers have settle for low paying jobs which calls for major lifestyle adjustments.

Also women workers abroad especially in the Gulf face harassment which creates an indelible scare on their psyches.

These issues sounded very familiar to what India also faces as a net exporter of manpower to the Gulf, especially Kerala where there have come to facing a social crisis.

But despite significant issues that it faces, Philippines does seem an interesting place, a delectable place as I discovered, here in the noisy food court of Robinsons Mall, with boisterous, happy Pinoy families devouring every morsel of spicy fare that this archipelago offers. And I am looking forward to the next few days here. It’s indeed more fun in the Philippines...

Living Through Doomsday... Part II

And move on through the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum, living through scenes of the doomsday that played out here on August 6, 1945...

A charred tricycle...

Steps of a bank - a man was sitting here waiting for the bank to open when the explosion happened. The stone of the steps turned whitish while the area where he was sitting turned black...

Deformed ceramic and glass...

Fused roof tiles...

Fused ink bottles...

Various damaged articles...

Each of the items displayed embodies the grief, anger, or pain of the people who suffered during and after the blast...

Message on a roof tile telling the fate of Sato family...

The story of Sadako, in whose memory the Children's Peace Monument was constructed...

The story of Sadako is very moving...

Sadako Sasaki, 2 years old, was at home when the explosion occurred - she was about 2 kilometres away from ground zero. She was blown out of the window and her mother ran out to find her. Miraculously, her mother found Sadako alive with no apparent injuries. While they were fleeing, Sadako and her mother were caught in the black rain, contaminated rain that usually falls after a nuclear blast.

All appeared normal and Sadako grew up like any other girl, becoming an athlete in school.

In 1955, she was diagnosed with acute malignant lymph gland leukemia and was hospitalized on February, and was given, at the most, a year to live. By the time she was admitted, her white blood cell count was six times higher compared with the levels of an average child.

In August 1955, after two days of treatment, she was moved into a room with a roommate, a junior high school student who was two years older than her. She told Sadako about the Japanese legend which promises that anyone who folds one thousand origami cranes will be granted a wish, and taught her how to fold the origami cranes. 

Although she had plenty of free time during her days in the hospital, Sadako lacked paper to make a thousand origami cranes that could possibly save her. She would use medicine wrappings and whatever else she could get. She went to other patients' rooms to ask to use the paper from their get-well presents. Her best friend, Chizuko Hamamoto, would bring paper from school for Sadako to use.

And it is said that Sadako fell short of her goal of folding 1000 cranes, having folded only 644 before her death. Her friends completed the 1000 and buried them all with her. 

During her stay in hospital, her condition progressively worsened. Around mid-October, her left leg became swollen and turned purple. After her family urged her to eat something, Sadako requested tea on rice and remarked "It's tasty". Those were her last words. With her family around her, Sadako died on October 25, 1955 at the age of 12.

Shocked by her death, her classmates led a campaign to build a monument to mourn the children who died in the atomic bombing. With the support of students in more than 3,100 schools around Japan and in nine other countries, including England, they were able to build this bronze statue that stands nine meters high.

Touched and shocked by the doomsday that played out here nearly 70 years back, I was convinced that the human race deserves much better!