Truly majestic

As usually I’ve found out that I’m flying to Dubai only couples of days before it was supposed to take place. Nothing changes here.
But before I’ve left, I’ve spent lovely weekend with friends doing sports (running, playing badminton, riding a bike), singing, doing BBQ, having fun, listening to the old vinyl records.
On Friday night first we cycled through Warsaw to reach the Vistula River and old barge called Herbatnik, where they’ve been playing funny document movies. Unfortunately we’ve managed only to see the end, but anyways it’s very interesting place.

Being thirsty we went further down the river to Cud nad Wisla. Lovely place, situated at the river bank just near the Centrum Nauki Kopernik. It is very……, let’s call it, raw. They set it up only for the summer season; skits are used there as sits and tables, here and there, there are blankets and pillows to make the place more comfy. Portable public toilets, bar and DJ stand in container boxes.

Even though (or more due to that, and the location of course) place is usually full and visited by relaxed people. Friday evening was not the best what you can expect in the mid July (chilly and wet) but still it was pretty full.

After two beers we went to check UFO at the Rozbrat, which was completely dead. Nothing going on there. Nothing at all. So in the end we went to Indeks. Not very fancy place, but music was not bad. Secondary school Bravo type place.

On the way back we were stopped by the police. At first my idea was that it’s due to my back light, actually due to the lack of it. Next idea that came to my mind was that they want to check how sober/drunk we are. That would have been even worse than the missing light. We had 2 and half beer each. Not much, but still. Losing your driving license because of that would be the Mistrz.

And what was the reason? Basically they’ve wanted to check serial numbers of our bikes, as recently there are a lot of thefts. Of course they’ve asked for our ids, which I did not have, but they’ve mentioned that it’s not mandatory to carry it around with you.

Coming back to the serial numbers, of course they could not find them on our old cycles and after a comment on Tomek’s family name (spiders, blah) they let us free. In the end we reached home after 3 in the morning. But tomorrow is Saturday!
On Sat we took a ride to Piaseczno to visit a friend, actually to do some BBQ there, spend a night, meet with some other friends (who even carried our things, so that we didn’t need to be bothered). On the way through Ursynow, Kabaty, Kierszek, Mysiadlo and Piaseczno most of the time we've spent in Las Kabacki relaxing and lying down on the grass. I don't remember when was the last time that I could so airy and carefree spend my time. Gimme more!

Bike

Shoes

What the hell was going on there?

Tomek

Go faster!

In Piaseczno it was even better. I was not expected at all such a warm welcome, I was not expecting most of what was going on there. Tomek and his wife - Karolina gave us the most welcoming and most honest and hearty hosts that I had since very long time. Hospitality is definitely their number one. I don't know what skills these exactly are, but they were able to make us feel like home. We were going around, cooking, using their facilities. Lovely people, with lovely kids.
 
Saturday evening/night it was eating, drinking, dancing and listening to vinyl records. Sunday was a sporty day with light breakfast only and almost 22km in the rain. I was rather in a good shape, last two kilometers I was even to speed up a little bit. If I had to I could go run further, but actually time was running away and as I was flying to Dubai at 19 I had to start getting ready, taking shower, having dinner and so one.
 
In the end my flight to Munich was delayed due to the very bad weather conditions in Europe and I would not be able to catch flight to Dubai, so I've changed my ticket to fly on Monday and I've spent one more day and night in Warsaw. That was a gift from above. Finally I was able to finish watching "Breakfast on Pluto" and on my flight from Munich to Dubai I got an upgrade to business class. So sweet. The only thing that I regret is that I was not able to try their food as I've been sleeping on the valium all the time, but at least the seat was very comfy.

Everybody

Adas and Jasiek

Jasiek

Usually cats don't like me. This one must be weird as it come to me on its own

Tomek the DJ and Franek Kimono rulezzzzz

Runner from the 80s

Kinga, Doris and Marta in the rain

Doris, Mati, Marta and Tomek

Tomek presents what his ostre kolo - fixie can do

Myself, Marta, Kinga, Doris, Tomek, Tomek - rainy runners

You could travel the world

Preparation to go to Dubai were so chaotic and everything was so spontaneous that I even barely recall what was happening and when and why.

Everything started on Wednesday night, when after a walk that I made in Warsaw I received message that my visa is ready and when can I arrive to Dubai. As the only logical option was Saturday night flight to get there Sunday morning and go directly to office (as in Arabic countries they work Sunday-Thursday to be more adjusted to world standards, cause originally they’ve been working Saturday-Wednesday). I booked it so and started to prepare myself for the trip and project work itself. I wanted to do it earlier during the week because I was expecting that I’ll be flying as soon as possible, but I was getting some ad hoc tasks all the time so that I was not able to go through all the materials that I had.
Thursday I started to do my packing but I was getting nervous only as I did not know what to take with me, what I'm allowed to wear, what I'm not allowed to wear, how conservative Dubai is, how very business I have to dress, how hot/cold it is there. And of course I did not pack good enough, so now I might have to go and do some shopping. My previous clients were more relaxed I guess and I was never told that what I'm wearing is too casual, however wearing it here I've already been given this notice.
Last day in the office was Friday, when I had to arrange couple of more things, deliver results of research that I was doing, get some prescriptions (apparently there are some drugs that are illegal in UAE without a notice from the doctor so I wanted to make sure that I’ll not get caught on the border), do some last shopping. Head ache. And of course I would not be myself if I did not go for a goodbye party. So with Kinga we went to have some pierogi, which I missed so much in Asia. Pierogi are kind of dumplings, but Asian dumplings and Polish pierogi are in fact completely different. So we went to my favorite place where you can get really good pierogi (recently named by us MDM instead of it’s real name for the sake of the name of the district – Marszałkowska Dzielnica Mieszkaniowa where it is placed), next we went back to visit friends and in the end we went to Powiększenie, where AM Radio were playing. They are set of DJs who I was introduced to, by friends, shortly after I’ve came to live in Warsaw. Now when I have opportunity I like to go for parties where they are playing. And this one was really good, a lot of dance tunes in shabby and underground atmosphere. This was the kind of gigs that I like, not posh at all, alternative, relaxed people dressed in what they feel comfortable in and not wearing what bounce man would like them to see wearing to let them in.
Traditionally we’ve finished the night in Klubo. And as the party theme was “All I wanna do is to mess around”, so we did. To make it clear it was not Klubo party theme, it was our party theme. We did our job perfectly. And it does not mean at all that we had hangovers in the morning or spent whole Saturday in bed. It was completely other way round. I’ve slept maybe 2 hours although I’m not even sure if that was sleep at all or only struggling to sleep. Whatever it was I got up and did shopping (cytrynowka, which I wanted to take to Dubai as there it is kinda problem to buy alcohol, you have to have some special license) and went home and found out about the whole hell. Regardless of hell we went for a breakfast to Szpilka, where things happened fast and before I’ve realized I took a cab and I was sitting and waiting for my plane to Munich. I’ve planned to take sleeping pills to be in quite a good shape when I’ll arrive in Dubai on Sunday morning, so I took it just before boarding time. I wanted to board and go to sleep. Get up for transfer only and go to sleep again.
But fate played with me and plane to Munich was delayed. Was so much delayed that I was even given an option to go home and take the same connection but one day later. What I decided to do was to fly to Munich regardless of delay and hope that plane from Munich to Dubai will also be later, so that I manage to catch it. As there was one more guy flying to Dubai we were hoping that they might even wait for us a little while and pick us from the plane and transfer us directly, but when we arrived plane to Dubai was long gone.
At the airport they gave us overnight kit (tooth paste and tooth brush, shampoo, soap, XL T-shirt and so one) hotel and booked for the same flight but one day later. And we were incredibly lucky, cause we took last seats. I wonder what would happen if they did not have any seats left on that flight. Would I have two days of delay?
I have some friends in Munich and in Ingolstadt, which is 70km north from Munich. To be honest I’ve even tried to organize it in a way that I’ll have some more time in Munich and we’ll meet, but in the end I did not get any answer from Pedro, so I gave up (on the other hand if I did not give up and took early flight to MUC I would easily catch that flight…). Bearing it in mind I had to use this opportunity and I gave him a call. He was rather surprised but I guess glad too. So he picked me up and we drove to Ingolstadt, where with his brother we went to a bar. It was kinda complicated as I did not have any really warm clothes on me. Maybe I'd find something in my suitcase, but that one was at the airport, so Pedro had do give me his jeans (I was rather surprised that they fit), pullover, socks, hat and gloves.
In the bar there was one more friend that I got to know in Ingolstadt, so it felt so good. The only problem was that I took that sleeping pills, so I was rather unconscious, especially that bar tender started to like me a lot and wanted to do shots with me (why doesn’t things like that happen when you stay somewhere for year and a half and they do when you go there once only?) and I also had some russens (weizen + lemonade) as that was always my favorite drink in Germany and I did not have it for a long time already. So in the end it was perfect, that we were there my car ;-)
I love this when you can visit old friends and old places, especially if it is so spontaneous and not planned at all. Or even better, it was planned, but we thought it'll not work and in the end it did. So I walked through Ingolstadt, took some photos that I did not take during the year and a half when I was staying there, went to my favorite cafe in the city center - Aran. And as I did not have anything to occupy me there I took a newspaper and decided to give it a try over my cappuccino. And as surprised as I was, I haven't been for a long time. I was reading it easily. I understood 95% of the content. How is that possible? When did I have time to improve my German that much? It was really strange, but that made me so dedicated, that I've even decided to buy a book when I Pedro dropped me at the airport, to dig my German knowledge in Dubai (btw, when was the last time that i read book in Polish? Recently I read only in English).
I slept almost whole trip, I just had a small talk with a buy sitting with me, and I've found out in that he's a profi table tennis player and plays for Spanish representation. There is some tournament in Dubai and their whole team was flying. Funny, recently I tend to meet kinda celebrities. We'll see how it develops, cause if it develops this direction I might meet princess Diana one day (just after I wrote it I've started to think if it's a good example...).
After I've arrived I went to my hotel, took shower, had breakfast and went to work. In the office I was barely conscious so in the end I gave up at 5 p.m. and called a cab to go to sleep. After I woke up the next day I did not know where I am. It usually does not happen to me, but this time I was completely turned off. So turned off, that I even forgot to take a shower. I did not take it either in the evening nor in the morning. And the best thing is that I've realised it only in the afternoon. Myself I don't know what to thing about it. I was laughing but on the other hand it was weird.

Palace of Culture and Science by night

Palace of Culture and Science by night

Palace of Culture and Science by night

View from Plac Zamkowy

Swietokrzyski bridge and National Stadium

Ingolstadt team

Ingolstadt

Ingolstadt - Glacis Bruecke

Ingolstadt - I've never seen that before, but I like it

Ingolstadt - one of the gates to the city center

Ingolstadt city center

High Life in Hong Kong

I love HK. I could spend here more time, move here for a little while and enjoy.
The difference between HK and Shanghai is as big as difference between Beijing and Shanghai. Here they even have Pret, which has the best porrige and soups ever. It feels here like in London. Even tube is designed in the same way. Wall joins with the ceiling in the same curvy way and notice boards indicating stops are the same.
From the same beginning I've been enjoying the city and having a lot of fun. Already on Friday (so the day when I've come from Shanghai after 18h ride on the train) I went to see light and sound show on the bank of the sea/canal which separate HK Island from Kowloon. We've (with friend who I've first met in Xi'an) watched it from Kowloon side, music synchronised with lights on the skycrapers. Nice experience. And after that we went to Lan Kwai Fong (party street in L shape, street's name comes from that shape). Street were closed for the cars and people were basicaly drinking on the road, and waitresses serving there. I guess it's not always like that, but they've organised it for the Halloween Party which was suposed to be on Sat.
It's so cool to go out, sip your gin'n'tonic on the street and chat to ppl passing by.

Hong Kong by night from Kowloon

I think that my room mates in the hostel wanted to kill me when I've come back at 3 a.m. and than got up at 7.45 to meet my HK friend - Carol, who invited me for hiking trip with her friends from University. We went to Sai Kung to make a small part of MacLehose Trail. It leads you along the coast and water reservoir for HK and than later on up the hills, through sandy beaches and unexpectidly warm water in the bay. What a pity that I did not have my bikini with me and I could not get into the sea.

Sai Kung sweet water reservior

Carol, Catherine and I

Hiking crew

Sai Kung - rock that cracked

Beach

Bare feet

Octagonal rocks in Sai Kung

Fish market in Sai Kung

Sai Kung - sea food restaurant

By the time we got back I was completly shuttered, so I took 1h nap, drunk RedBull and got ready for a party, where I've went with one guy who I've met in hostel. This time it was real Halloween Party. And it seems true what everyone says about China, Chinese ppl are crazy about this holiday. It was crazy what was going on on the streets, on the Lan Kwai Fong especially. They've made them one way pedestrian streets, so whenever you wanted to go back somewhere you had to make the whole round of about 3x3 blocks. People were dressed up, party everywhere, photos, drinks. Fun, fun, fun!
Unfortunately or maybe fortunately I've lost my friend from the hostel, but I've met some other ppl, and one of them showed me another place to go. Wan Chai is another party district in HK. Bars with live music and clubs. We went to Dusk till Dawn and of course, I've lost him too. It was not intended at all, but he just disappeared somewhere and I had to make new friends again. But practice makes perfect, three times luck and this time I did not lost anyone who I've met, but had a lot of fun. Recently I have luck to meet guys working for Lufthansa, either flying cargo or private planes. I've always thought they have really nice jobs. Why am I doing consulting? I should have been aircraft pilot, wear cool suit, spend every evening in different city staying in posh hotel, cause from what I've seen Marriott here is pretty posh, with outdoor swimming pool, fully equiped bathroom (tooth brush, tooth paset, comb) unlike in all European hotels where you don't get it at all.
When I was coming back to hostel on Sunday I saw guy on the escalator with bag and some papers prolly trying to figure out where YesInn hostel is. I thought that I may help him and ask if he goes there and lead him there cause anyway I was going there too. And in fact I hit the jack pot. Right place, right time. Wallaby.
Later on he went with me to buy my notebook (Asus Eee PC, 1GB RAM, 250 HD, 10", Intel Atom N450 inside, 1,66 GHz, Windows 7, webcam, 3 USB slots, SD Card reader for 2400 HKD) which I'm jusing just now to write this note, but unfortunatelly I cannot connect to wireless in the hostel. I've tried other places and it works, but not here, and I have no clue what's that, especially that here I have Windows 7 which is brand new for me and I even dunno how to set or access different services or settings. So no idea when I'm going to post this note and update previous one with some photos. SO I gave up and we went for a dinner and to visit Temple Night Market.

Knick-knacks

Training chopsticks - I should have gotten some before coming to Asia

Luckbringingcatswavingtheirpaws

The Pennisula hotel and shopping centre

The Pennisula hotel and shopping centre

Hong Kong Island

And today we went to Disneyland. It was big luck. One of the Carol's friends who I met on Sat works there and she could let us in, so as I've never been to Disneyland I went there and even better that there was someone to share this experience with me. It was ok, but nothing special. If I'd have to pay 350 HKD for that I'd be disappointed, especially thas some attractions were closed after Halloween (to take off all Halloween ornaments) like the biggest attraction - rollercoaster. But I'm happy that I've finally been to Disneyland ;-)

Disneyland line

In the DIsneyland tube

Welcome to Disneyland

Sam is saving the world

I'm saving the world

Golden Mickey Show

Golden Mickey Show

Golden Mickey Show

Winnie the Pooh experience

Merlin

Tarzan Tree House

Sunny Bay Tube Station