Clearly, I am under some sort of test

Posted on 2010/07/21 21:26:02 (July 2010).

[Wednesday 21st July 2010]

Fourth day of this huge business trip, probably the longest that I have ever made, and guess what? the deity of Business Trips "BUSINNUSS" has decided to test my resolve and strength by getting my bag completely lost.

Yes the "initial delay" turned out to be a very serious full fledged "LOST CASE", where no matter who I speak to or call, nobody can give me answers. Well, unofficially Lufthansa told me that they don't have a clue where it is and that it might well happen that the bag shows up in Beijing where it was meant to arrive without notice.

As if it will walk there by itself.

I am quite upset, to say it in mild words, all the stuff for 6 weeks of trip is in there, all my clothes for summer are in that bag, and now I am really screwed also because it seems that despite a delay that is now going into the fourth day, nobody know about compensation or what I should do.
My company allowed me to buy "some stuff" for the next 3 days, and then keep doing it until the bag is found, but quickly they also started to tell me that I should spend as little as possible etc etc etc... Spending "as little as possible" is easy in China, you go and buy local stuff, but frankly speaking since I am here for work and I must try to look respectable, I went on "mid level brands" that unfortunately are rather expensive. So now I have to deal with the guilt as well...

Difficult trip.

Regarding my bag the thing that really upsets me the most is the fact that I have lost a lot of items that I really liked, not just clothes but also my rucksack, lucky holiday hat, bags, shoes and so on...
I guess that it's very stupid to grow attached to a "thing", but I have so little of them that the few I have I really like..
Still, "things" are just "things" I cannot cry over loosing them, there is much worse in the world, and in any case I am resolute to make Lufthansa pay for this blunder, because it's all their fault. Shame they have been a very good partner for travel all through the years...

As to the trip itself it's really a pain in the ass, the meetings with the sub-distributors happen in the afternoon, then dinner with mandatory heavy drinking, some sleep and then move to a different city, half drunk and half asleep.
Yesterday in Beijing I had to force myself to throw up because I knew that keeping the alcohol inside would have meant a terrible day after, which I cannot afford.

I am sure that people think that my job is much nicer than this!! It isn't it's really crap having to stay 3 hours at dinner with people speaking Chinese all the time, then every now and then they stand up and drink with you bottoms up whatever alcoholic drink they find.

today we are moving to another 2nd tier city, Shenyang, 4 hours on the train, it will be the first experience in China.

The positive side? I do not have a huge suitcase to carry around.... though I wish I had it...

Really sorry to hear about your bag, but keeping my fingers crossed for you that it will eventually turn up.

As for the business trip, I have one question: why are you still in this job?

I know you're good with money, and you told me you'd been able to grow your savings on the stock market etc. Why not just do that full time?

I recently saw a property program that showed even in some parts of Tuscany you can buy a small but decent place to live for under £100,000. So quit now, buy a very modest place to live, then as long as you have an internet connection you can do whatever it is people do with the stock market to make a modest income to pay the bills. Then the rest of the time you can cook, write a book, maybe make your own wine, perhaps rear a few animals.

Is there really any point continuing in this job?

Posted by John at 2010/07/22 08:35:41.

I am undergoing a lot of thinking recently, after all the big changes that happened in my life. Certainly this job done in this way is close to physical and mental massacre, so it will be "re-factored" for sure, if a better opportunity will come along I will think about it, maybe some change is needed, actually it would be helpful. Doing something different completely could be nice.
As to the stock market I am not that good unfortunately and making a living with that beast requires an amount of money that I do not have to start with...

The house is on the schedule of the things that will be done, hopefully sooner than later.

Thanks for the support Johnny boy, I miss the nights spent with you, getting drunk with a real friend instead of clients that I hardly can remember the names of...

Posted by Lox at 2010/07/22 15:40:58.

Cripes! I remember the lost-luggage thing happening before. This is beyond belief.

As for the lost items just being "things" well, of course, they are, but that is what makes it possible for all of us to travel anywhere - some normality, some grounding in who we are and where we are from. We are NOT vagrants...

I never know if the Orient is your favourite place or just "work" however I'm always impressed by your intrepid adventuring! :-)

I think John has a good point although it takes more than just courage to give up and head for the good life - the good life needs paying for somehow!! ;-)

Posted by Nigel at 2010/07/24 14:48:51.

Lenore, I am a flight atnntdaet so I can totally sympathize. Its getting to be a nightmare out there! It is the gas prices driving all of it, unfortunately. I prefer to carry my stuff on with me, but most people do not pack as lightly as I do. I know what you mean, I buy books everywhere I go. I usually go try to ship them back ahead of me, most countries have a cheap way of sending reading matter (England and the US both have M-Bag, it's very reasonable). I always take a couple of paperbacks that I can leave where I finish them, that way I make room to replace them with something else. Rather than take travel guides I photocopy the pages that I know I'll want and take those, much lighter.

Posted by Oswaldo at 2013/03/17 11:28:27.

silverheron + j.kaye - these are not the books I read on my trips but that I acquire on my trips!amy - that's etlxcay what my friend was doing and now she's missing some of her essentialslinda - I can understand the pressure airlines are under with the gas being as expensive as it is - but such a luggage policy is simply highway (airway?) robbery!marie - etlxcay! i wonder if the airlines are prepared to refund their fees if they lose your luggage.steve - I've seen the $15 fee for the first bag and the $25 fee for the second bag, and though it galls me, at least it is still affordable and you still get 50 lbs a bag. plus elite fliers don't have to pay so that's a small consolation to me.

Posted by Nairon at 2015/06/08 08:29:41.

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