Chiang Mai 31.01

Good evening my dear followers,

This morning I finally arrived in Chiang Mai after a 14-hour train ride from Bangkok. It started kind of boring but then turned out to be very funny when I met three Canadien back packers on their way to Chiang Mai and we spend half of the trip just talking and having fun. ( Greets to Savana, Zoltan and Malcom )

Reaching the train station I was terribly tired again and felt like taking two showers in a row, because sanitary equipment in the train was kind of...well lets say not really trustworthy.When I left the station hall a crowd of taxi and tuk-tuk drivers yelled at me to take their ride, but I chose the only black limousine with chauffeur that was waiting to bring me to the hotel.



The hotel building is impressive with more than 300 rooms, four restaurants, a swimming pool, a spa area and its own small shopping mall. My room is more than comfortable. I have sweet king size bed, a rain-forest-massage shower, a big bath tube ( which is connected with my living room via a glass front, so I can watch TV while taking a bath ) and a breath taking view all over Chiang Mai. ( Pictures will follow )

After droping my luggage and getting a little fresh it was time to introduce myself to the team. As a management trainee I will work together with the front office manager and his assistant. The employees are very nice and after a little speech I was attacked by questions. While taking me through the hotel my mentor recognized that I might be a little too tall for the uniforms, so after having a delicious meal I went to the mall and got myself a nice and fitting suit. It is 9:30 now and time for me to go to bed. My first shift starts tomorrow morning and I still lack a lot of sleep.

More details, pictures and stories will follow soon. Good night and read from you soon.

Chris

Abu Dhabi

28.01.11 - The Journey has begun

Hello my dear friends.
After starting yesterday in Frankfurt at 10 pm German time, Maxi, Hendrik, Nadine and I arrived in Abu Dhabe this morning at 7 am local time. The flight with Etihad was amazing and if you are going to travel to the Eastern region, I really adivce you to take this company.

Steping outside it was a little shocking to jump from minus 2 degrees to plus 30 but I took worse challenges in my life ;)
After a coffee break we visited the most famous sites of the city via bus and cab, which ranged from disapointing to totally stunning. As the pictures will show you later on, the city offers beautiful beaches, the greatest and coolest shopping malls and the most beautiful and breathtaking mosque I ever saw.

For sure the first big mistake happened to me. Entering the bus I took the free seat on my way. After some seconds of rest I recognized the whole bus was staring and grinning at me. Nice and friendly as I am I threw my biggest smile back, but after some awkward moments I started wondering and took a careful look around. So happend I took a seat in an area "only for women" shown in shiny, yellow sign, lined out different languages. I hope they took my blushing as a sun burn but the whole bus including me was laughing happily.

The rest can be told by the pictures, but I can say that this was a perfect first day and I am happy to have my friends with me. In 7 hours our flight to Bangkok is departing and we are awake for nearly 30 hours now. You will hear from me soon and the pictures will go online very soon.

I miss you all,


Chris