Jet Set

I remember the very first time that I travelled anywhere on business. It was after my third year at university, and I was to accompany a colleague on a tender briefing in Manchester. I was on the road early in my car to Loughborough, and delighted. The Dodgess, equally, delighted that I was invited around to meetings in Manchester. For a student, I lived the high life - free lunch, and 38p per mile for driving was a real bonus.

Oh how things have changed. Strange, because my latest travel is undoubtedly far more exciting, at least on paper. I mean - Ho Chi Minh, Hai Phong, and Hanoi are certainly more interesting than Manchester. Flying around is certainly more exciting than driving down the M42. the flight to Ho Chi Minh particularly hair-raising, with the Captain aborting the landing a few seconds before touching down due to heavy rain - I was relieved - visibility was below 100m!

The trouble with business travel, is, frankly, the work. We had a meeting in Hai Phong on Wednesday. In order to make it we had to fly to Ho Chi Minh on Tuesday evening. Then wake up at the crack of dawn (well, before in fact - 4.30 am) in order be on the first flight of the day to Hai Phong. Whilst we did manage to land first time in Hai Phong, the flight was awful. We were sat next to a mother struggling with her toddler daughter. I can understand this, but then who thinks changing a nappy at the seat is a great idea? Really nasty. It hardly surprised me when she sent her tray flying down the gap between the table and theseat. But it was very funny. At that point, we gave up a moved down the plane.

This set the tone for the day. We had a horrible meeting about our poject, then a 3 hour car journey on northern Vietnam's slightly rough roads. We eventually arrived in Hanoi, and the driver had no idea where the hotel was. A leisurely tour of the river bank later, and eventually we reached the hotel far too tired to enjoy the evening, or the suites that we had been upgraded to. 


Things did improve mildly on Thursday - we had some productive meetings. But two got pushed to Friday. The result was that we were running around like loonies. We set off for the airport for the flight back only 2 hours before the flight. Normally, I'd be at the airport at this time, let alone shaking hands with a Japanese contractor. The stress levels flew up as we got stuck in Hanoi's worsening traffic. The trouble is, should we miss that flight, then we'd be in Hanoi until Saturday.

So we did get on the flight back in the end. Hanoi airport is scarily efficient, or maybe they all are if you don't have enough time. Overall, though, this week proves why I dislike travel for business. Ok, the meetings are necessary. But, the two of us spent the best part of the week in Vietnam. In that time we wrote no reports, even sending emails was tough. 

I will no doubt whinge about things more - this was my third trip to Vietnam. In the next month, I have at least one more, together with a trip to Hong Kong. I also have two trips that I actually look forwards to - the Dodgess and I are visiting Penang. And we intend to sleep!


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In the past two weeks I have, in between my flights to Vietnam, managed to go to two concerts put on by students of the Dodgess. Both have, in different ways, been staggering.


The first one was a solo piano recital. All the usual suspects where included - some Chopin, Lizst, Brahms. Performed in the Esplanade Recital Studio, this was a very good recital, by anyone's standards. The pianist was 17. A young age for a solo recital. Particularly given that she doesn't even want to pursue music professionally - aiming to study medicine. I had thought that she was perhaps a one off - no - the same teached puts such recitals on every six months.


The second was a half hour recital in Esplanade Concourse. Not this time by one person, but by 3 from Raffles Institution. Again, the level was pretty exemplary. The age, yet lower, 12 -14. One boy could scarcely see above the top of the piano.


I went to what was without one of the best schools I could have gone to, and I daresay that I met with some of the most talented children that I could have. Yet it seems to me that even the Perse School would have been hard pushed to put on three 12-14 year olds with such distinction. That concert was not a one off either - Raffles Girls School presented the following evening, though I was en route to Ho Chi Minh as the performance progressed.