Same time, different place. Just six hours flight away from one challenge came another. Although in kind of different sense
Wherever I’m, I always try to get back home to see my parents, brother and old friends at least once a year. I don’t think it’s enough, but all those virtual technologies and them to come and visit me also once a year, I feel that I’m not that far away. And Christmas is the best occasion to plan this voyage. Although this year it was a bit more difficult decision, because I had no more leave days left for 2010.
“Hmm…I need to take one week from 2011 for Abu Dhabi Challenge anyway…so why not to take another right after and go home for some regeneration, feeding and cool down” I said and let my company book a straight Dubai – Prague - Dubai Emirates flight. Everything was set. “I just hope I’ll survive the winter there” I thought when hearing that there is plenty of snow.
After the Desert challenge I was not that wasted as I expected, but that’s another story, so I arrived full of energy to do something different. And Jan knew exactly what I had in mindJ Right after my arrival we went to a beautiful new indoor climbing wall, which was built in the past year and was opened couple of weeks back…Lucky!! I haven’t been climbing for at least half a year, but it wasn’t that tragic. I was still more or less able to maintain my difficulty level around 6b – 6c, which was good and the fact that I got quite far on some crazy 7a overhang felt even nicer. After we finished we sat in the adjacent bar and some beer…OK I had tea, because I was really cold and was driving home…but even with the tea I was quickly absorbing the cool atmosphere in a friendly place with same minded people around. Relaxing…
Next on the program was cross-country skiing. We live in the mountains so it was close to go for our usual 20km loop and it was just nice…and even the cold was not a problem. “You just need to get properly dressed and no weather is a problem” Jan said and when looking at him covered up to his nose with special winter wear, I felt it was warmly true.
Also twice we went snowboarding for half a day. I was afraid that after not standing on the snowboard for two years or so it would be painful and not fun, but it was exactly the opposite. After few first unsure turns all previous skill came quickly back and at the end of the day I was riding steadily “on switch”, doing small shy 180s and enjoying. I felt I wanted to stay more are learn more, but time was short…
I wanted also to see some old friends, so I ventured to Prague for one evening. I stopped by the Old Town Square for Christmas market, had hot mead (liquor with taste of honey), typical sausages, “langos” and one more mead on the way back J Christmas and friendly atmosphere was touchable. Next morning, after a joyful evening with two friends I hadn’t seen for a year, I was standing on the snow covered balcony of my mom’s flat in Prague, looking far over the buildings and still full of this different state of mind I got into when I landed I was thinking “If the cold is not the problem…then what is?” I remembered when I was leaving to Dubai two years ago how happy I was…
And complete “Cherry on the cake” was a reunion with some of my old classmates from high school back in my town. Good Czech food and beer and mostly the perfect company made that evening hard to forget…even when I might have lost some details at the end
In the evenings in our house we were playing cards, drinking the best beer in the world and chilling out. We had funny company of our dog and cat always provoking each other, like they wanted to show me that they are also part of this family. And was feeling good…I was home
But one week is just too short and I had to leave right on the Christmas Day. And my mood was gone!! It was it was also because I had a tricky connecting flight in Dubai to Doha from Terminal 3 to Terminal 2 and work day just three hours after landing. “Welcome back JIRI!!...Welcome home”
Of course that I missed my connection because of bus driver going 15km/h all the time and I was back in business. “Hello…I missed my plane so I need to buy a new ticket. Can I go out to the booth and buy one?” I asked a guy behind information desk. “No, you need to wait for FlyDubai people to come here”, “Can you call them?” “OK…wait…OK…they are coming” he said after talking with somebody. “Can I please speak to them?” I asked “Actually no, because I don’t have their number…but don’t worry, they have flights here and are coming and going…just wait until 3:30am”. My blood started to boil!!
I had 5 hours before the next flight at 7am so I went behind the corner to have a Big Mac and while eating I was scanning carefully the hall for FlyDubai staff. “So? They have flight in 45 minutes and nobody is here!! When they are coming?” “Oh Sir, we were looking for you. They were here” he was lying into my face again. There was another guy, kind of boss of all the people checking boarding passes. “They are coming in 10 minutes. I called them” he said after I searched for somebody else who could do something. Half an hour nothing happened. Three hours to the flight. I was getting extremely pissed and nervous. FlyDubai was just on the other side of the wall!!
“OK then…nobody is coming…could you just go there? It’s 50 meters?” I begged him. “No..It’s not my duty” “And what the hell is your duty…!!!!” I wanted to scream to his face. I tried to ask three fat Arab ladies doing baggage screening to go back through. “No, you cannot” they didn’t want to bother. “Look…I changed my mind” I desperately chose a different strategy. I don’t want to fly anywhere anymore. I want to get out of here. I can buy visa on arrival. How to get out? “Eeee…” he had no idea.
Fortunately that other “boss” probably did call to somebody and before I tried to jump through the security gate two FlyDubai guys appeared and what was even more lucky…they KNEW what to do and were not lying or trying to dodge unusual situation. As I’m thinking about it now…I could have solved it easier myself…open laptop, get on internet, call them myself, etc…but I got blinded by the virtual proximity of their office and idealism brought from Europe. Anyway...I mercifully got one hour of sleep on the airport and one in the plane and I was ready to go to work. No really, because in the meantime they shifted arrival terminal to some other place, so when I got out of the terminal in Doha I opened my mouth in disbelief that it was not over “Where the hell I am???”
Same time, different place. Just few hours flight away and you are in a different world, different life. Same person, different troubles. Just couple of thousand kilometers further and you have different options, different view.
And which “different” is the best? Only time will tell. Easy to say after going on holiday for two weeks “I love it here. I want to live here”. But only couple of years show all the hidden treasures and flaws. So even when I felt so good at home, I stay on the ground. I know that place for long after all J
Although…I think I’m starting to hear the time telling me something...
3 comments:
It would have been much better if you had left on New Years day as you say, not actually right the day after the Christmass Eve. We could have had few more beers and some snowboarding too :)
Nevermind, I will surely bring plenty of these "energy drinks made in Svijany" to the Terrex race :)
Oh..true :) Small mistake...it's corrected now.
And I can't wait for that August hop injection!!
:D If there will be more people, I may bring the self-cooling 20l keg I told you about back in the desert :)
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