South Korea IV (July 24 to July 31 2010)

Locations visited:

• Busan, South Korea
• Vancouver, Canada
  

Flight Path:

• AC: YYZ->YVR (B767), YVR->ICN (B767), Bus: ICN->GMP, KE: GMP->PUS (B737), PUS->GMP (B737), Rail: GMP->ICN, AC: ICN->YVR (B767), YVR->YYZ (A321)
  

Hotel(s):

• Busan: Novotel Ambassador Busan
  

Another trip to South Korea.  This time for the Busan-Gimhae LRT.  Just one week to test and update my train control software.  Arrived Sunday night, worked five days, and departed Saturday afternoon.

I got the Saturday morning before my flight free to walk around the city a bit.  On my way home I also got a four hour layover in Vancouver and finally got a chance to ride my project, Canada Line in revenue service

Here's AC63 (Boeing 767-300ER) that took me from Toronto to Vancouver and then to Incheon airport in Seoul. I then had to get myself to Gimpo airport (within Seoul) and then travel to Gimhae airport on a domestic flight. Then a 1 hour bus ride into Busan. It was a 22 hour independent journey.	The Rocky Mountains - I took a photo from the plane.
Haeundae Beach in Busan - I was given a Beach Front hotel to stay in - too bad I didn't actually have anytime to relax and swim in the sea this time =).	The world's largest department store (Shinsegae) is located in Centum City, Busan. NB: The world's largest mall is still in Dubai.
The train used for the Busan-Gimahe LRT - built by Hyundai-Rotem - the same company that built the trains for Canada Line in Vancouver. This train was basically my home during the day for the week whilst I was in Korea.	Busan's version of the Little Mermaid - Princess Hwangok. It is bigger than the real Little Mermaid that I saw on my trip to Copenhagen a few years ago.
YVR - Vancouver Airport Station on the Canada Line in Vancouver - I finally got my chance to ride the line I worked on (and spent many weekends at work for last year) during a 4 hour layover while coming back home from Korea.	I took the train from YVR to Olympic Village Station and here is the view of Vancouver's skyline from False Creek.
The Canada Line Train - fully automatic - no drivers and no attendents on board.	In front of the Canada Line train.

 

Dubai III (Aug 10 to Aug 28 2009)

Locations visited:

• Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Flight Path:

• EK: YYZ->DXB (A380), DXB->YYZ (A380)
  

Hotel(s):

• Dubai: Rimal Rotana Hotel

My third business trip to Dubai for last minute testing and software updates just before the metro line was to enter passenger service (date: Sept 9 2009, 9:09:09 PM).

I started work the day after I arrived and didn't stop working until the morning before my flight (17 days straight).  It turned out the last minute problems weren't actually my issue however I decided to sweep the entire line (52.1 km - in both directions) to make sure everything was "perfect" before I left.

This trip I got to take some photos of the completed metro system (and basically these were my only photos :)).

I got to fly on the Airbus A380-800 for the second time from Toronto non-stop to Dubai. Even though in the past two years, I've flown across the Atlantic now 5 round trips and across the Pacific for 3 round trips, I still get a little nervous each time I fly.	Entrance to Financial Centre Station.
Financial Centre Platform Level - Ready to go for opening day!	Stairs from Platform to Concourse level at Financial Centre Station. The vast majority of the stations on the Red Line are above ground.
The ticket booth at Financial Centre Station.	The fare gates at Financial Centre Station. Passengers will use an integrated fare card called "Nol" to enter the system - another Thales product (by Thales France).
Silver or Economy Class on the Train.	Standing in Gold or First Class - I guess this is where Emiraties will ride the train if they choose it over their Land Rovers =). It offers leather seating and a table for computers - free Wifi - which works in the tunnels as well.
Station Sign and Map at the Mall of the Emirates Station.	Ticket Machines in Mall of Emirates Station. The entire system is bilingual - Arabic and English (there are a lot of Brits, Aussie, Inidian, and Filipino ex-pats residing in Dubai).
Concourse level at Mall of the Emirates Station.	After working 17 days straight (this has set a new record), I finished the updates and tested on the complete system (it took so long since it takes one hour to travel the entire metro line in one way) and hopped back onto an Emirates A380 back home. That's why almost all of my photos were taken either on the train or at metro stations or at airports this time.

 

Dubai II (May 25 to June 1 2009)

Locations visited:

• Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Flight Path:

• EK: YYZ->DXB (B777), DXB->YYZ (A380)
  

Hotel(s):

• Dubai: Rimal Rotana Hotel

A short one week business trip to Dubai for some joint testing of my software with prototype train motoring and braking software.  It was a neat trip as the team was truly international, Canadians and Filipinos from my company and British and Japanese from the train manufacturer and French and Chinese from the consultant.

No site seeing this time, just got to experience 45°C weather! 

The bonus was getting to fly back on the first A380 flight ever into Pearson Airport in Toronto!

The clock tower in Deira (this time a photo of it during the daytime). We decided to walk from the hotel to Deira City Centre for lunch. It was only 40°C and not very humid so it was ok.	On the way back from lunch, the temperature soared to 45°C and it became very humid. The walk back to the hotel was tougher, but we made it. This is the hottest anywhere I've been before. When I stepped outside from the metro or a mall, my glasses fogged up.
This time I got to test my controller software in a more scenic area of town. This is the Mall of the Emirates (the second largest mall now since the opening of Dubai Mall). You can see the ski slope in the background.	Here is the Burj Al Arab from the train. The passengers are going to get great views as they travel from the suburbs to downtown Dubai!
The inside of a Dubai Metro vehicle. This is Silver or Economy class. They've installed everything except for the LCD displays. The train ride is very smooth. The official opening date for the Dubai Metro is 09/09/09.	Construction at the Mall of the Emirates Metro Station.
In my Thales gear on the train.	Completed all my work on time and I was fortunate enough to be booked on the inaugural flight of Emirates A380 route from Dubai to Toronto. This is also the first time a passenger scheduled A380 flight has landed in Toronto, and I think in Canada. This is the Emirates Business Class Lounge in Terminal 3, Dubai.
At the gate, about to board the A380. My seat is near the back of the plane on the upper deck.	My seat on the flight.
Emirates A380 Business Class. I usually don't take photos on the plane, but since everyone else was snapping away, I made an execption this time =).	The view from my window. The wings on the A380 are enormous!
The in flight entertainment system (ICE). This is one thing on Emirates that is way better than Air Canada. One bad thing was the live news updates from the BBC. I found out about the Air France crash and received updates mid-way through my flight. Sometimes there are things you don't want to know while flying =).	Landing at Pearson. We were welcomed by the fire engines spraying water on the plane as we taxied to our gate.
As we left the plane, there were a ton of people inside the terminal waiting to catch a look at the plane. Emirates had turned the plane's arrival into a media event. That's it for this trip. The work went ok but the highlight was the once in a lifetime trip on the first A380 flight into Toronto!

 

Dubai (Jan 21 to Feb 18 2009)

Locations visited:

• Dubai, United Arab Emirates
  

Flight Path:

• EK: YYZ->DXB (B777), DXB->YYZ (B777)
  

Hotel(s):

• Dubai: Rimal Rotana Hotel
  

My first business trip to a place other than South Korea was Dubai, United Arab Emirates - for a month's worth of testing and making software updates on the Dubai Metro.

Dubai runs on a six day work week, with Friday being the day off.  So I had 4 days off on this trip and took advantage of that time to see the city.  Dubai is a modern and mutli-cultural city and I was fortunate to be able to visit this place for work.

At track level at work on the Dubai Metro. I had to take some measurements to confirm that the track level equipment was correctly installed.	Deira, Dubai - the old area of Dubai. On the right is the Etisalat tower (Etisalat is the main telephone company - i.e. like Bell Canada in Central Canada) and to the left in the background is Thales' site office.
A Dhow (Arabian ship) at the Dubai Museum.  This was my main destination for my first day off.	The Dubai Museum is housed inside the former Dubai Fort.
Inside the Dubai Museum. The musuem was nice and gave me good insight into the relatively short history of Dubai and the United Arab Emirates.	A Camel statue along the Dubai Creek on the Deira side to commemerate a chess tournament held in Dubai.
More musuems and walking through the historical parts of Dubai were on my plans for my second day off.  Here is a Dhow in Dubai Creek.	An Abra (water taxi) that connects Deira with Bur Dubai. The grand mosque is in the background.
This is me inside Dubai Heritage House, another museum. I was the only one there (musuems are not the big draw in this city =)). But the staff was really nice, they offered me free arabic tea and a arabic dessert (which looked and tasted like a pancake to me).	Leaving Heritage house, I spotted an Emirates Airbus 380 taking off from Dubai Airport (DXB) to either Heathrow (LHR) or New York (JFK). I flew direct to Dubai on an Emirates 777-300ER. Air Canada has a better seat layout but Emirates has a better entertainment system (non-Thales) and a better more consistent level of service from the staff. I was sort of dissapointed with the Emirates lounge though. It was too big, 1500+ seats, it is more than 10x the size of the other lounges I've been in (Air Canada, ANA, SIA etc).
The old souk in Bur Dubai on a Friday (the day off in UAE).	More Abras in Dubai Creek.
My next day off, I decided to take a hop on, hop off bus tour (the Big Bus Tour) to see the rest of the sites in Dubai.  This was the only feasible way to see many of the places as at that time, now of course you can can the metro to many of these places. Here is the Dubai Raffles hotel.	Jumeirah Mosque
Burj Al Arab - the famous hotel in Dubai. The beach around it was nice.  It was a little surreal to wade into the Persian Gulf - as I tend to associate it with warfare rather than beaches.	A house on the Palm Jumeriah.  Palm Jumeriah is the set of man made islands off the coast that combine together to form the shape of a palm tree, when viewed from above.
A nice shot I took while on the Palm Jumeriah.	Ski Dubai at the Mall of the Emirates
Another shot of Ski Dubai at the Mall of Emirates. This is probably the only city in the world where one can go to the beach in the morning, go skiing in the afternoon, and then go watch the sun set in the desert at night.	Inside the Mall of the Emirates. Same stores as any mall in Canada, nice to see a lot of Canadian brands in Dubai in this and other malls - Aldo, Bata, La Senza, le Chateau etc. Otherwise, mostly European stores dominate - Carrefour, Marks and Spencer, Ikea, Debenhams, Harvey Nic's etc.
Burj Dubai, now known as Burj Khalifa - The world's tallest free standing structure. It isn't completed yet.	Dubai's World Trade Centre.
Emirates Aviation College - it is shaped like a plane =).	The crowds outside the Abra terminal at the Bur Dubai Old Souk.
On the Right is the Dubai Bank tower and the left is the Sheraton hotel.	A shot of Deira at dusk.
A shot of me working on the train. The hard hat is solely for the photo shot, I didn't need to wear it whilst I was on board the train.	The donuts I bought for the Thales guys one day. I never saw blue and orange ones before.
A sandstorm. It is like smog execpt when you open your mouth sand comes in!	On my last day off, some of the Thales guys and I went on a desert safari. The camel there had an unnatural attraction to me =).
The 4x4's that took us on the desert safari.	In the desert.
I met up with Nimesh who was in Dubai for a school field trip during my last week in Dubai at Deira City Centre.	Deira clock tower - to celebrate the discovery of oil in the United Arab Emirates.

 

South Korea III (Sept 26 to Oct 10 2008)

Locations visited:

• Hamyang, Jinju, and Busan, South Korea
  

Flight Path:

• AC: YYZ->NRT (B777), NW: NRT->PUS (B757), PUS->NRT (B757), AC: NRT->YYZ (B777)
  

Hotel(s):

• Hamyang: El Dorado Motel
• Busan: Haeundae Grand Hotel
  

Another business trip to South Korea.  We worked 11 days in a row, with only Sunday afternoon off in between.

We arrived on Saturday night and we decided to walk around town on Sunday. The main place of interest was a park. This is rural Korea, not Seoul so there really weren't any other places to go =). However it was nice to get away from big city life for a little while.	The fountain in the park in Hamyang.
The Hamyang mascots!	After working seven days straight, we took the next Sunday evening off and went to Jinju, a fortress city south of Hamyang. This city is famous for a battle between the Japanese and Koreans in the 1500s.
Changing of the guards in Jinju fortress.	A gate in Jinju fortress.
We were lucky enough to be in Jinju for their lantern festival.	On the last day of the Thales trip, we travelled to Busan to be closer to the airport. This is Haeundae Beach. Busan or Pusan is famous for its beaches and its international film festival (we were there for the last days of it) and for not being captured by the Communists during the Korean War.
We then went to the Busan Aquarium (After working 11 days straight, we deserved to be tourists for the day).	The penguins!
Shark!	Sting Ray and his little fish friend! BTW, I did get some of the Thales guys to go with me to ride the Busan subway for one stop (just to see what was like - very similar to Seoul's metro)

 

Japan (May 24 to June 3 2008)

Locations visited:

• Hamyang, South Korea
• Tokyo, Kyoto, and Nara, Japan
  

Flight Path:

• AC: YYZ->NRT (B777), NW: NRT->PUS (B757), JL: PUS->NRT (B767), AC: NRT->YYZ (B777)
  

Hotel(s):

• Hamyang: El Dorado Motel
• Tokyo: Tokyo Green Palace Hotel
• Kyoto: Comfort Inn Kyoto Gojo

My second business trip was also to South Korea.  This trip was planned in advance.  To get to our destination, we had to change planes in Tokyo.  I hadn't been to Japan and decided to take five days off (an extended long weekend) on my way home.  There wasn't any cost to the air ticket to take a break in the journey, so all I had to pay for out of pocket was the hotels in Japan, transport, and admissions.

The first thing I noticed about Japan was that they drove on the left, this actually caught me off guard as I was taking the bus from the airport to the hotel.  Also, I had heard the hotel rooms were tiny but I thought people just exagerated - but they really were tiny. 

It was neat to walk around Tokyo and Kyoto.  Going to Nara was special as well.  These three cities were all at one time the capital of Japan, of course Tokyo is still the current capital!

Finish work.  Leaving Busan for Tokyo on a JAL 767-300 (JL 096)	On the flight from Busan to Tokyo, we saw Mt Fuji and here is a blurry picture of it.
First full day in Tokyo, went to Ueno park in the morning.	Gojo shrine in Ueno Park.
The blue whale outside the science museum.	Is it the grand opening of IKEA, H & M, no the people are in a huge line up for a special exhibit at the Tokyo National Museum in Ueno Park. If the ROM could get these crowds, we wouldn't need any government subsidies!
Two samurai outfits in the Tokyo National Museum. It is a blurry picture but the one on the left made me smile.	Senso-ji Temple in Tokyo.
Senso-ji Temple in Tokyo.	Senso-ji Temple in Tokyo.
The next day, walked from the hotel to Tokyo Train Station. On the way, sought out the HSBC branch to get some more Yen.	The Diet (Japanese Parliament)
The Imperial Palace in Tokyo. Wasn't going to go there, but it was on the way and it looked nice enough to get strangers to take a picture with me in it.	On my way to the train station, I looped through Ginza the main shopping district in Tokyo and took 20 minutes to snap some pictures of moving bullet trains.
The Sony Building in Ginza.	Ginza early in the morning
A bullet train in Tokyo Station.	My train, the Kodama Super-Express, actually not really that express. Since I couldn't get a rail pass (didn't have time to get one in Toronto), got the next best thing economy tickets (Puratto Kodama Economy Plan) on the local bullet train from Tokyo to Kyoto (one way <$98 CDN). You can buy these tickets at the JR tours office on the main floor at Tokyo station one day before you depart.  The good thing is that while we stopped at stations, when express trains ran by us, I could feel our train shift from side to side due to the force of the other train.
Nijo Castle in Kyoto. This was a neat experience. The floors squeaked as I walked on them, they were designed that way so the shogun could detect intruders.	Nijo Castle.
Nijo Castle with me in the pic.	The Gion (Geisha) district of Kyoto at dusk. I didn't see any Geisha but there were a fair number of women in Kimonos.
The narrow side streets of Kyoto. Kyoto still has these since the allies didn't bomb the historic capital of Japan duirng WWII.	The next day, took the local train south to Nara (the first permanent capital of Japan). Here's the train station.
Turtles at Sarusawa Pond in Nara	Kofuku-ji Temple in Nara (the second tallest pagoda in Japan).
The deer in Nara Park.	Arrived at my destination in Nara, Todai-ji Temple. The world's biggest wooden structure with the biggest Buddha statue in Japan. This was in the pop-up book of Japan I got when I was a kid.
This is the actual Todai-ji temple.	The Buddha Statue. It was odd how the gift shop was to the left and under the statue. It was a little too commercial for me, although they did have some good stuff that I did buy.
Back in Kyoto, went to the Toji temple just south of Kyoto station. This is the tallest pagoda in Japan. After this, took the bullet train back to Tokyo for one final night in the hotel.	The Air Canada Jet that I flew from NRT back to Toronto. While waiting to board, got to go to the ANA lounge. The food was great there. But thus far, the best lounge is the Singapore Airlines lounge in Seoul. Almost everything beats the Maple Leaf lounges in Toronto / Vancouver!

 

South Korea (Sept 28 to Oct 20 2007)

Locations visited:

• Seoul and Suwon, South Korea
• South Korea / North Korea Border

Flight Path:

• AC: YYZ->ICN (A340), ICN->YVR (A340), YVR->YYZ (B767)
  

Hotel(s):

• Renaissance Seoul Hotel (This is a Business Hotel, not for the budget traveller - This is probably the best hotel I've stayed at)
  

My first business trip for Thales.  I had just gotten back from my vacation to Denmark (not really a vacation as I was in Denmark to present a paper from my Masters thesis) when I got asked to go to Seoul for a week do some testing on one of the company's projects.  Well that one week ended up being three weeks, but at least I got weekends off and also some Korean public holidays off.  It was a fun trip as I got to see and learn a lot but it was also probably the only business trip I took where I actually got weekends off to explore the city/country I visited.

Korea made a lasting impression with me as all the Koreans I met were super friendly.  Through going to Royal Palaces, musuems, and other sites including the border between North and South Korea, I gained an appreciation for how much the country suffered during the war and how much effort they've made to rebuild their country.

Gyeongbokgung, A Royal Palace in Seoul.  First opened in 1395, destroyed by Japanese invaders in 1592, and reconstructed in 1868. Be sure to sign up for the English tour that is included with admission.  I found it very informative	Inside Gyeongbokgung
Inside Gyeongbokgung- Gyeonghoeru - Built in 1412/1867, a two story pavilion used for Royal Banquets	Changdeokgung, the seconday Royal palace in Seoul to Gyeongbokgung.  Constructed in 1405 and restored in 1610.  This is a UNESCO world heritage site. Again, be sure to sign up for the English tour.  I went in the afternoon here (on a public holiday) and the tour was packed (50+ people).
Injeongjeon (Throne) Hall in Changdeokgung built in 1405	The National Museum of Korea This is a nicely laid out musuem that gives a good summary of the history of the Korean people
Namsangol Hanok Village, Seoul This is reconstructed model traditional Korean village in the middle of Seoul.  It was neat to be able to walk inside of the different types of houses, and they had a good souvenir shop as well.	Since we worked the night shift, after finishing work on Friday morning, I went with some of the guys from work on a bus tour of the Demiliterized Zone (DMZ) between North and South Korea.  The half day bus tour cost 46,000 Won ($46 CDN) and picked us up right at our hotel.  We had a tour guide accompany us through the various sites.  The only downside was a mandatory stop at the Amethyst jewellery factory at the end of the tour. Here's Freedom Bridge, Border between North and South Korea
Tired after ascending from one of the tunnels the North dug to enter the South - I was looking forward to riding a little mining train through the tunnel back to the surface, but our tour guide said we didn't have time to wait in line and got us to hike up (the only place on the tour we weren't rushed was the jewellery factory).	In the Background is North Korea. The tour was worth it even though it was rushed.  It was a surreal experience as there were barbed wire installations, armed solders, and land mines everywhere.  It gave me a glimpse into what a real live war zone was really like.
The next day, I visited the city of Suwon (~2 hours by subway south of Seoul) by myself. Suwon is a walled city - Hwaseong Fortress. The key point to remember is that there is a tourist information centre next to the main train station.  You can get directions there, I did not find English widely understood here.  You need to take a local bus from the train station to the Walled part of the city. This is Paldaimun, one of four main gates into the fortress.	This is the main entrance to Hwaseong Haenggung, a detached Royal Palace, used by the Royal family when visiting Suwon.
Inside Hwaseong Haenggung.  There are a variety of rooms with dioramas of Royal life.  It was an interesting place to see but not too much to do inside.	The walled city of Suwon.  It can take hours to hike around the walled city.  However there is an inexpensive "dragon" mini-train that does half a loop around the city and it also includes a taped English commentary.  The train starts up the hill from Hwaseong Haenggung and ends at the East Command post.  It was pretty neat to climb the walls and go up the turrets, posts, and observation towers that formed the command post. From the command post, a local bus takes you back to the train station.
On the Sunday (before work at night), I went to the War Memorial of Korea. There are a lot of dioramas of Korean military sites, including a mini walkthough scale version of Suwon.  The basement is filled with tanks and military planes.  The most memoriable part of the musuem was the recreation of a Korean War refugee camp.  It was very realistic.	The Turtle Ship in the War Memorial of Korea
After work the next day, I went to Seoul's Oympic Park to see some of the buildings from the 1988 Olympics. This is the World Peace Gate with an eternal flame in the centre of the gate.	1988 Olympic Mascot
1988 Olympic Mascot	On my final weekend, went to Sungyenmun (Namdaemun) - South Great Gate.  I was fortunate to see it as it was burned down by an arsonist a few weeks afterwards.
In front of Sungyenmun.	Near Sungyenmun is Deoksugung, the most recent Royal Palace in Seoul.  It was used from 1907 until Japan annexed Korea.
Inside Deoksugung.  This is the smallest of the three palaces I went to in Seoul.  It was also the only palace with some western style buildings that were built as part of the palace.	This is Seoul City Hall which is across the street from Deoksugung.
In the same area as City Hall is the Bank of Korea Museum, it had some good exhibits on Korean and international currencies.	The KoRail Bungdang Metro Line - Why I was in Seoul in the first place
After working my last night shift, I went to Insadong, the tourist market area for some last minute souvenirs.  I saw this sign outside the market and it reminded me that I was 10,621 km from home!	Finally my last destination in Seoul was the Olympic Stadium.  I had to go see the place where Ben Johnson won a Gold medal and then had it stripped away after he failed a drug test.