Well, I am home again, at least for a little while.
I flew home this past Monday and arrive a little after midnight. The flights themselves weren't bad. However, in Miami, it seemed like there was a game of Musical Gates going on. It's amazing the chain reaction that results when one or more flights are delayed. The gate the flight back to Montreal was originally set for was D33. While sitting there, I noticed that the current flight has been delayed and that the new departure time was 8:30PM. That's around the time our flight was suppose to leave. I ask the gate agent what the story was. She said that our flight was moved to Gate D36. Okay, so we made our way over there. We hung out there for a few before it was somehow announced that our flight has again been moved to another gate, D49. O_o
Anyway, after that, the gate did not change. However, after we all boarded we had to wait because one passenger had not shown up. As a result, that passenger's bags had to be removed and we finally took off a little after 9PM. After landing in Montreal, clearing immigration and getting my luggage, I went straight to the taxi stand. I think I got the surliest taxi driver ever! He literally tossed my bags into the trunk. When I suggested the route to take he said that he thought another route would be faster but it's up to me. Anyway, at least he got me home. :p
What's next? El Salvador! I'll be heading out again next weekend to San Salvador. Three fun-filled weeks in San Salvador. Si, I need to learn some more Spanish. :-p
Thursday, July 31, 2008
Sunday, July 27, 2008
Christian Missionaries in Central America
I originally posted this on a forum somewhere but I figure I'd post it here as well.
Something I've observed in my time here are the Christian Missionaries that traipse through this hotel. More notably, this huge group that checked in a few days ago.
Now, I have nothing against religious organizations that are out to help/improve the lives of the less fortunate. What I have a problem with is what they're actually doing or not doing.
I did a Google on Christian Missionaries. After taking a look at a random few, it seems that for the most part they are raising money to either help a small village or help a child get an education that they otherwise would not be able to. In such cases, I find that commendable.
Now back to this group...
I'd say that this group numbered somewhere close to 50. I didn't bother to actually count how many there were, but they did take up most of the seats in the hotel restaurant.
I wonder what their purpose was in Honduras. Most of them wore matching t-shirts that have slogans such as "Leaving a Legacy" or "God loves you". From the looks of some of the participants, I don't think they're out to build churches, schools or wells. It didn't look like they brought with them needed supplies or clothing. They did, however, bring a guitar (or two) and colored chalk!
It makes me wonder what they're really doing here. Are they visiting different villages? Are they singing and playing with the kids? What sort of legacy are they really leaving behind? At the end of the day, they come back to the comforts of this big hotel. They don't look at all too weary, wearing their shorts, t-shirts and flip flops. They sport a rustic wooden cross around their necks while at the same time don their diamond rings or nice watches.
Bottom line is that I see this group as being a bunch of hypocrites. Just how are they helping the people of Honduras? A colleague commented that this is a "feel good" trip. And I agree. They're not really on a mission. They're really on a vacation under the premise that they're doing something good. They come back from making a child laugh and smile for one day to a comfortable hotel with air conditioning and an all-you-can-eat dinner buffet.
Anyway.. I guess this is a bit of rant, but it does bother me.
Something I've observed in my time here are the Christian Missionaries that traipse through this hotel. More notably, this huge group that checked in a few days ago.
Now, I have nothing against religious organizations that are out to help/improve the lives of the less fortunate. What I have a problem with is what they're actually doing or not doing.
I did a Google on Christian Missionaries. After taking a look at a random few, it seems that for the most part they are raising money to either help a small village or help a child get an education that they otherwise would not be able to. In such cases, I find that commendable.
Now back to this group...
I'd say that this group numbered somewhere close to 50. I didn't bother to actually count how many there were, but they did take up most of the seats in the hotel restaurant.
I wonder what their purpose was in Honduras. Most of them wore matching t-shirts that have slogans such as "Leaving a Legacy" or "God loves you". From the looks of some of the participants, I don't think they're out to build churches, schools or wells. It didn't look like they brought with them needed supplies or clothing. They did, however, bring a guitar (or two) and colored chalk!
It makes me wonder what they're really doing here. Are they visiting different villages? Are they singing and playing with the kids? What sort of legacy are they really leaving behind? At the end of the day, they come back to the comforts of this big hotel. They don't look at all too weary, wearing their shorts, t-shirts and flip flops. They sport a rustic wooden cross around their necks while at the same time don their diamond rings or nice watches.
Bottom line is that I see this group as being a bunch of hypocrites. Just how are they helping the people of Honduras? A colleague commented that this is a "feel good" trip. And I agree. They're not really on a mission. They're really on a vacation under the premise that they're doing something good. They come back from making a child laugh and smile for one day to a comfortable hotel with air conditioning and an all-you-can-eat dinner buffet.
Anyway.. I guess this is a bit of rant, but it does bother me.
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
Dreams
I had a bizarre but somewhat vivid dream last night. Usually, my dreams are just fleeting images of some scene. This time it was as if some time was passing, that it was more than a few seconds.
I dreamt that my ex had returned to me. The surroundings were not familiar, however, I felt that I was somewhere else other than home and that it was like a hotel or something. In any case, it was not home.
As in most dreams I don't remember all the details. I just remember some of the people I saw in the dream. He was definitely there. I recall him telling me that something I should know is that he had been drinking a lot. Somewhere along the way he said he hadn't touched a drop in nine days. Some of the other people who appeared in the dream were people I knew from work and play. Another thing I remember in the dream was the 2 of us hugging each other very tightly, as if we never wanted to let go.
Alas, this was but a dream.
I dreamt that my ex had returned to me. The surroundings were not familiar, however, I felt that I was somewhere else other than home and that it was like a hotel or something. In any case, it was not home.
As in most dreams I don't remember all the details. I just remember some of the people I saw in the dream. He was definitely there. I recall him telling me that something I should know is that he had been drinking a lot. Somewhere along the way he said he hadn't touched a drop in nine days. Some of the other people who appeared in the dream were people I knew from work and play. Another thing I remember in the dream was the 2 of us hugging each other very tightly, as if we never wanted to let go.
Alas, this was but a dream.
Countdown.
5 more days before flying back to Montreal on Monday. 3 more days at the customer site. Saturday and Sunday to do something or nothing. Early morning departure from Tegucigalpa back to Montreal via San Salvador and Miami. It will be a long day.
After that it will be another 4 days before my birthday.
ACK!
9 days from now it will be my birthday. Not sure what to do about it really. It's considered a milestone birthday by some. For others, it's just another day. I thought about a big bash, but with the traveling I've been doing, who's had time?
Anyway... I just want the next few days to go by quickly.
After that it will be another 4 days before my birthday.
ACK!
9 days from now it will be my birthday. Not sure what to do about it really. It's considered a milestone birthday by some. For others, it's just another day. I thought about a big bash, but with the traveling I've been doing, who's had time?
Anyway... I just want the next few days to go by quickly.
Friday, July 18, 2008
Live! From Tegucigalpa! It's Friday Night!
Yes, folks! It's Friday night here in wonderful Tegucigalpa. It's overcast and rainy.
I just came back from having dinner with a couple of my colleagues. We had earlier in the day booked a tour to Comayagua. However, one of the guys said that the weather was not going to be very nice. So taking his word for it, we went to reception after dinner to have them help call the tour company to cancel our tour. *sigh* I suppose it would have been a bit disappointing if we got there and it was too rainy to really enjoy the sites and scenery out there. From what pictures I found on the web, it seems like a really quaint colonial town. Oh well. Who knows, it might not be the last time I visit this part of the world.
That said, I guess I will be sleeping in tomorrow morning. Of course, this means I will probably stay up late doing goodness knows what! Okay, maybe I will watch a DVD or something. Or maybe finally getting around to read a couple of magazines I brought with me. In any case, I don't plan on turning on the TV. Even though they have a cable here, I just don't feel inspired to watch much of anything on TV these days.
Anyway, happy end of another week!
I just came back from having dinner with a couple of my colleagues. We had earlier in the day booked a tour to Comayagua. However, one of the guys said that the weather was not going to be very nice. So taking his word for it, we went to reception after dinner to have them help call the tour company to cancel our tour. *sigh* I suppose it would have been a bit disappointing if we got there and it was too rainy to really enjoy the sites and scenery out there. From what pictures I found on the web, it seems like a really quaint colonial town. Oh well. Who knows, it might not be the last time I visit this part of the world.
That said, I guess I will be sleeping in tomorrow morning. Of course, this means I will probably stay up late doing goodness knows what! Okay, maybe I will watch a DVD or something. Or maybe finally getting around to read a couple of magazines I brought with me. In any case, I don't plan on turning on the TV. Even though they have a cable here, I just don't feel inspired to watch much of anything on TV these days.
Anyway, happy end of another week!
Almost the weekend
Well, the end of week two is nearly there.
To some degree the trip moves along more quickly when you get into a routine. In this case, the daily routine is to get up, get some breakfast, go to the customer site, work for about 9 hours, head back to the hotel and have some dinner. I suppose that working in a closed, windowless environment distracts you from the distraction of staring out of a window. On the flip side, I get to listen to the constant and monotonous hum of fans and machines around me all day long. The only reprieve I get is when we head out for lunch.
Even lunch has become more or less a routine. We have the driver pick us up at about 1PM. He drops us off at the nearby mall. We go to the food court where we have our pick of some of America's finest. We eat and then take a walk around the mall to digest, then we go back to the drop-off/pick-up area. Then, it's back to the site for another 4 hours of sheer fun!
This weekend, maybe we'll look into booking some sort of tour for Saturday. It seems that this task has fallen on yours truly. It seems that with the smattering of Spanish I do know or have picked up along the way, I am the lead communicator of this little quartet. *sigh*
I think it helps in any foreign country that it's beneficial to at least try to pick up a few key words and phrases of the local language. The locals will definitely be more obliging if they see that you are trying to make an effort to speak their language. I really don't know that much Spanish, but the others think I do. I just use the principle of association to learn what some words are what they mean. It's rather simple if you think about it. And since I do know some French, that helps a bit too.
Anyway, aside from possibly taking a tour this weekend, we might have to spend a few hours Sunday night doing some work. It's when there is the least amount of traffic so that we might be able to execute some test cases.
Hmm.. Maybe I should go to bed soon... *yawn*
To some degree the trip moves along more quickly when you get into a routine. In this case, the daily routine is to get up, get some breakfast, go to the customer site, work for about 9 hours, head back to the hotel and have some dinner. I suppose that working in a closed, windowless environment distracts you from the distraction of staring out of a window. On the flip side, I get to listen to the constant and monotonous hum of fans and machines around me all day long. The only reprieve I get is when we head out for lunch.
Even lunch has become more or less a routine. We have the driver pick us up at about 1PM. He drops us off at the nearby mall. We go to the food court where we have our pick of some of America's finest. We eat and then take a walk around the mall to digest, then we go back to the drop-off/pick-up area. Then, it's back to the site for another 4 hours of sheer fun!
This weekend, maybe we'll look into booking some sort of tour for Saturday. It seems that this task has fallen on yours truly. It seems that with the smattering of Spanish I do know or have picked up along the way, I am the lead communicator of this little quartet. *sigh*
I think it helps in any foreign country that it's beneficial to at least try to pick up a few key words and phrases of the local language. The locals will definitely be more obliging if they see that you are trying to make an effort to speak their language. I really don't know that much Spanish, but the others think I do. I just use the principle of association to learn what some words are what they mean. It's rather simple if you think about it. And since I do know some French, that helps a bit too.
Anyway, aside from possibly taking a tour this weekend, we might have to spend a few hours Sunday night doing some work. It's when there is the least amount of traffic so that we might be able to execute some test cases.
Hmm.. Maybe I should go to bed soon... *yawn*
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
Not quite halfway
It hasn't been halfway through this trip and I am already looking forward to going home. Even though I like to travel, traveling for work is a whole other ball game. It starts to get a bit monotonous and depressing when every weekday you come back from work to the same hotel room. After being cooped up in an enclosed environment for approximately 8-9 hours breathing air-conditioned air and listening to the monotonous hum of the fans and machines around you, you tend to feel rather exhausted by the end of the day.
Another thing I don't like about this kind of travel is the diet. The hotel breakfast is fine, but there's an easy tendency to overeat if you're not careful. After more than a week of having eggs and hash browns for breakfast I am going to in a way cut back and just have a bowl of cereal and fruit. I have been having fruit all along, but I think the eggs and hash browns kinda cancel that out. At lunch, we've been going to the nearby mall where there is a food court full of your American standards like Sbarro, Subway, Pizza Hut and Quiznos. It will be more of a challenge here to find something more healthy. I think I will just keep an eye on portion sizes. Dinner might be more tricky as we rarely go out for dinner. The tendency has been to grab either a beer and a light meal in the bar or go to the restaurant where there is your choice of buffet or something from their menu. Again, I just need to choose wisely.
All in all, it's the little things I miss. I miss having the cats around, if you can believe that. I miss the simple task of walking out to the mailbox to get my mail. I miss staring at my front yard wondering what to do with the weed infested grass. I know I will miss the blooming of some flowers in the front yard. I will basically miss most of summer in Montreal. I've already missed most of the Jazz Festival and the Fantasia Film Festival.
I also miss hanging out with friends. I miss talking about things to do. There's a couple of things I want to do in August. I am going to try to make sure I get to do them with my friends. I miss my friends. I miss discussing with Melissa what to do with my house as far as painting goes. It will get done one day! Maybe I should just let her do what she wants with the loft space. Surprise me! :-) But I am already asking a lot of her.
Anyway... Yeah, I'm mildly bummed about being away from home this long. I was barely home a week before flying down here to Honduras. And now they want us to go to El Salvador almost as soon as we get back. Sheesh! Give me a chance to breathe!
Another thing I don't like about this kind of travel is the diet. The hotel breakfast is fine, but there's an easy tendency to overeat if you're not careful. After more than a week of having eggs and hash browns for breakfast I am going to in a way cut back and just have a bowl of cereal and fruit. I have been having fruit all along, but I think the eggs and hash browns kinda cancel that out. At lunch, we've been going to the nearby mall where there is a food court full of your American standards like Sbarro, Subway, Pizza Hut and Quiznos. It will be more of a challenge here to find something more healthy. I think I will just keep an eye on portion sizes. Dinner might be more tricky as we rarely go out for dinner. The tendency has been to grab either a beer and a light meal in the bar or go to the restaurant where there is your choice of buffet or something from their menu. Again, I just need to choose wisely.
All in all, it's the little things I miss. I miss having the cats around, if you can believe that. I miss the simple task of walking out to the mailbox to get my mail. I miss staring at my front yard wondering what to do with the weed infested grass. I know I will miss the blooming of some flowers in the front yard. I will basically miss most of summer in Montreal. I've already missed most of the Jazz Festival and the Fantasia Film Festival.
I also miss hanging out with friends. I miss talking about things to do. There's a couple of things I want to do in August. I am going to try to make sure I get to do them with my friends. I miss my friends. I miss discussing with Melissa what to do with my house as far as painting goes. It will get done one day! Maybe I should just let her do what she wants with the loft space. Surprise me! :-) But I am already asking a lot of her.
Anyway... Yeah, I'm mildly bummed about being away from home this long. I was barely home a week before flying down here to Honduras. And now they want us to go to El Salvador almost as soon as we get back. Sheesh! Give me a chance to breathe!
Sunday, July 13, 2008
Sunday - Tegucigalpa, Honduras
Yeah, the titles for my posts could be a bit more exciting but I seem to lack some imagination in that area. I need some sort of inspiration!
Thursday night we were treated to Happy Hour in the hotel bar. All of us staying here for the company got coupons for a drink and nachos. There was also some sort of party launching this new concept in the hotel restaurant. Apparently they plan on having a buffet based on a particular country. Friday night, for example, was Mexican night. It was interesting and there was a sampling of foods of the different cuisines they're going to offer.
Saturday was spent at the customer site. We actually managed to get a bunch of test cases done. We'll probably finish this batch before the other 2 guys get here Tuesday night. Then we'll put them to work on the other test cases. Mwahahaha! In any case, I want to finish all of this in the next two weeks.
Today was a lazy Sunday. Got up, had a huge breakfast and went back to the room to chill. I think I grabbed a nap somewhere along the way. Will probably head down for some dinner soon.
It's funny, but even though I am all the way down here in Honduras, it's so easy to keep in touch with family and friends. We have free wireless internet in the hotel because of the corporate deal our company has with the hotel. The speed is a bit better than what we had in Paraguay.
Anyway, tomorrow is another work day. Yay.
In the meantime, Radiohead will be playing Montreal on August 6th. I think I will go see them with a few friends. I need to get out and do something when I get back home!
Thursday night we were treated to Happy Hour in the hotel bar. All of us staying here for the company got coupons for a drink and nachos. There was also some sort of party launching this new concept in the hotel restaurant. Apparently they plan on having a buffet based on a particular country. Friday night, for example, was Mexican night. It was interesting and there was a sampling of foods of the different cuisines they're going to offer.
Saturday was spent at the customer site. We actually managed to get a bunch of test cases done. We'll probably finish this batch before the other 2 guys get here Tuesday night. Then we'll put them to work on the other test cases. Mwahahaha! In any case, I want to finish all of this in the next two weeks.
Today was a lazy Sunday. Got up, had a huge breakfast and went back to the room to chill. I think I grabbed a nap somewhere along the way. Will probably head down for some dinner soon.
It's funny, but even though I am all the way down here in Honduras, it's so easy to keep in touch with family and friends. We have free wireless internet in the hotel because of the corporate deal our company has with the hotel. The speed is a bit better than what we had in Paraguay.
Anyway, tomorrow is another work day. Yay.
In the meantime, Radiohead will be playing Montreal on August 6th. I think I will go see them with a few friends. I need to get out and do something when I get back home!
Wednesday, July 09, 2008
Alive and Kicking!
Well, kinda sorta. :-D I'm still here in Honduras. Arrived late Monday night. The flight out of Miami was slightly late in departing. Landed in San Pedro Sula about a half hour late.
In San Pedro Sula, we had to go through Customs and Immigration. I think we were the one big flight that arrived that evening. There was just one officer on duty when we all got there and started to line up. Then 2 more officials came out to start processing us. After finally getting through that, we went to get our luggage, which had to be scanned again before we can actually leave. After that, we had to figure out how to check-in to our connecting flight. Thankfully there was a woman on our flight who was able to ask some official-looking guy where we should go. He opened one of the sliding doors which was "off" for some reason and pointed us towards the counters and that the departure level was upstairs.
We headed over in that general direction and went to one of the ticket counters. The whole place seemed very empty. The check-in counters seem pretty closed and unmanned except for this one guy. We went straight to him and tried to tell him that we needed to check-in for a flight to Tegucigalpa. I think at this point we already knew or heard that the flight was delayed anyway, but we still needed to check-in. Eventually, we went over and waited at the TACA counter. Finally, this guy came out and asked if we just got off of the AA flight. He processed the guy who was also waiting in front of us, then he checked us in. Then we made our way over to pay the airport tax (all of 2 bucks since it's a domestic flight) and then up to the departure level. There, we found a couple of TACA reps and asked which gate. They told us gate 7 (which was the last gate, btw) and said that boarding would be around 9:30PM. Anyway, I think it was nearly 10PM when we boarded. It was ATR turboprop.
So away we go finally to Tegucigalpa. It's roughly a half hour flight from San Pedro Sula. Now, given what I've read so far about the airport, I was not too apprehensive about landing there. The ATR is a much smaller plane than a Boeing 737. The skies were not too cloudy, so I think visibility was decent. As we made the approach to the airport, I don't think the ATR had to make any funky manoeuvers on it's approach to the airport. When we did land, it was nice and quick. I read afterwards that ATRs were made to land and take off on short runways. So these guys were perfect for this particular airport. At the airport, it was pretty dead and quiet. I think we were probably one of the last incoming flights that evening. We went to get our bags. We almost had to go through customs again until the official was told we just arrived from San Pedro Sula. Then we got our bags, had them scanned and exited. The driver from the local office was already there to take us to the hotel. Since it was night, it was kinda difficult to have a good look at the airport and the surroundings. But I'm sure the video I posted last time gives you a good idea of the terrain around here.
I think it was about 11PM when we finally got to the hotel. I managed to communicate to the driver to pick us up at 9:30 the next morning to take us to the local office. After checking into our rooms, I quickly logged in to check on some email and stuff. I think I finally crashed around 1AM.
Yesterday was not too eventful. We spent most of the day at the local office and had a meeting with some of the local people about the project. We grabbed lunch at the food court of the nearby mall. It's amazing that just about all the eateries there were some American chain like Pizza Hut, Quiznos, etc. Anyway, later that afternoon, we went to the customer site for a quick meeting. After that, it was back to the hotel for a beer and a quick bite.
Today, we were hoping to get a few things, but alas, we were stuck. And on top of that, internet access from the customer site was heavily restricted. We could not use VPN to access our network at work. We could not access any sites that were email, chat or forum related. However, one of the guys there showed me a work around. It allowed me to access gmail. With gmail, I was able to get in touch with a few people back home and at the home office. I was also able to communicate with the local guys too about what we needed and stuff. We did get connection info to the nodes at the customer site. But with no test phones, we still can't do much.
Anyway, the highlight of the day might have been on the way back from lunch. We got the driver to take us to the mall. He decided to just park and wait for us since we would only be gone about 45 minutes. When we came out, it was kinda raining lightly. We scanned the parking lot for the car. We saw it but weren't sure if the driver was there. A few minutes later he flashed his lights, so we made our way over there. He had the SIM cards we asked for so that we can use in our phones. Then we made our way back to the customer site. On the way there, I noticed a whole bunch of taxis parked along the street. Apparently, there was some sort of protest going on over fuel costs and such. When we got to an intersection close to the site, it was blocked by police. Apparently, there was no way they were going to let us through, so we had to head back, which meant passing by the local office. Just before we got there, the driver got a call and it seems that a couple other guys who needed to go to the customer site were stuck because the other driver could not get the car out due to the protest. Luckily we were just in front of the office and picked up the other 2 guys. To get to the customer site, we basically had to go all the way arond the hill and get to it from the other direction. Oy! So yeah, that was the excitement for the day. The rest of the afternoon was kinda boring.
Maybe tomorrow will be more interesting?
In San Pedro Sula, we had to go through Customs and Immigration. I think we were the one big flight that arrived that evening. There was just one officer on duty when we all got there and started to line up. Then 2 more officials came out to start processing us. After finally getting through that, we went to get our luggage, which had to be scanned again before we can actually leave. After that, we had to figure out how to check-in to our connecting flight. Thankfully there was a woman on our flight who was able to ask some official-looking guy where we should go. He opened one of the sliding doors which was "off" for some reason and pointed us towards the counters and that the departure level was upstairs.
We headed over in that general direction and went to one of the ticket counters. The whole place seemed very empty. The check-in counters seem pretty closed and unmanned except for this one guy. We went straight to him and tried to tell him that we needed to check-in for a flight to Tegucigalpa. I think at this point we already knew or heard that the flight was delayed anyway, but we still needed to check-in. Eventually, we went over and waited at the TACA counter. Finally, this guy came out and asked if we just got off of the AA flight. He processed the guy who was also waiting in front of us, then he checked us in. Then we made our way over to pay the airport tax (all of 2 bucks since it's a domestic flight) and then up to the departure level. There, we found a couple of TACA reps and asked which gate. They told us gate 7 (which was the last gate, btw) and said that boarding would be around 9:30PM. Anyway, I think it was nearly 10PM when we boarded. It was ATR turboprop.
So away we go finally to Tegucigalpa. It's roughly a half hour flight from San Pedro Sula. Now, given what I've read so far about the airport, I was not too apprehensive about landing there. The ATR is a much smaller plane than a Boeing 737. The skies were not too cloudy, so I think visibility was decent. As we made the approach to the airport, I don't think the ATR had to make any funky manoeuvers on it's approach to the airport. When we did land, it was nice and quick. I read afterwards that ATRs were made to land and take off on short runways. So these guys were perfect for this particular airport. At the airport, it was pretty dead and quiet. I think we were probably one of the last incoming flights that evening. We went to get our bags. We almost had to go through customs again until the official was told we just arrived from San Pedro Sula. Then we got our bags, had them scanned and exited. The driver from the local office was already there to take us to the hotel. Since it was night, it was kinda difficult to have a good look at the airport and the surroundings. But I'm sure the video I posted last time gives you a good idea of the terrain around here.
I think it was about 11PM when we finally got to the hotel. I managed to communicate to the driver to pick us up at 9:30 the next morning to take us to the local office. After checking into our rooms, I quickly logged in to check on some email and stuff. I think I finally crashed around 1AM.
Yesterday was not too eventful. We spent most of the day at the local office and had a meeting with some of the local people about the project. We grabbed lunch at the food court of the nearby mall. It's amazing that just about all the eateries there were some American chain like Pizza Hut, Quiznos, etc. Anyway, later that afternoon, we went to the customer site for a quick meeting. After that, it was back to the hotel for a beer and a quick bite.
Today, we were hoping to get a few things, but alas, we were stuck. And on top of that, internet access from the customer site was heavily restricted. We could not use VPN to access our network at work. We could not access any sites that were email, chat or forum related. However, one of the guys there showed me a work around. It allowed me to access gmail. With gmail, I was able to get in touch with a few people back home and at the home office. I was also able to communicate with the local guys too about what we needed and stuff. We did get connection info to the nodes at the customer site. But with no test phones, we still can't do much.
Anyway, the highlight of the day might have been on the way back from lunch. We got the driver to take us to the mall. He decided to just park and wait for us since we would only be gone about 45 minutes. When we came out, it was kinda raining lightly. We scanned the parking lot for the car. We saw it but weren't sure if the driver was there. A few minutes later he flashed his lights, so we made our way over there. He had the SIM cards we asked for so that we can use in our phones. Then we made our way back to the customer site. On the way there, I noticed a whole bunch of taxis parked along the street. Apparently, there was some sort of protest going on over fuel costs and such. When we got to an intersection close to the site, it was blocked by police. Apparently, there was no way they were going to let us through, so we had to head back, which meant passing by the local office. Just before we got there, the driver got a call and it seems that a couple other guys who needed to go to the customer site were stuck because the other driver could not get the car out due to the protest. Luckily we were just in front of the office and picked up the other 2 guys. To get to the customer site, we basically had to go all the way arond the hill and get to it from the other direction. Oy! So yeah, that was the excitement for the day. The rest of the afternoon was kinda boring.
Maybe tomorrow will be more interesting?
Thursday, July 03, 2008
Tegucigalpa, Honduras
So it looks like I'll be heading off to Honduras next. Now, admittedly, i don't know a while lot about Honduras other than it's located in Central America. I'm not sure what the political situation there other than that it's somewhat stable at the moment. Safety-wise, I think one would have to take the usual precautions as in any other Latin American country, although I did find Asuncion, Paraguay relatively safe.
In any case, I started to Google some info about Honduras and Tegucigalpa, which is the city I think I'll be heading to. I came across this little gem:
Can we say "HOLY CRAP!!". Uhm yeah. That might explain this little article I found. Oy! Well, at least the president there is taking some sort of action. I guess?
I think Honduras is also home to some Mayan ruins. I'll have to look into this some more as it might be an interesting thing to check out on a weekend if the sites are not too far.
Anyway, I don't have a confirmed departure date yet but I suspect that it might be next week.
Oh! And with the time frame for this project I think I will be spending my birthday in Honduras. O.o
In any case, I started to Google some info about Honduras and Tegucigalpa, which is the city I think I'll be heading to. I came across this little gem:
Can we say "HOLY CRAP!!". Uhm yeah. That might explain this little article I found. Oy! Well, at least the president there is taking some sort of action. I guess?
I think Honduras is also home to some Mayan ruins. I'll have to look into this some more as it might be an interesting thing to check out on a weekend if the sites are not too far.
Anyway, I don't have a confirmed departure date yet but I suspect that it might be next week.
Oh! And with the time frame for this project I think I will be spending my birthday in Honduras. O.o
Tuesday, July 01, 2008
Theme
If I were to have a theme song, what would it be?
P.S.
Yes, I made it home, safe and sound. Some things have happened but I will fill you all in later. Meanwhile, I'm up late because it's a Holiday! Wooooo!
P.S.
Yes, I made it home, safe and sound. Some things have happened but I will fill you all in later. Meanwhile, I'm up late because it's a Holiday! Wooooo!
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