About Me

I ramble about a number of things - but travel experiences, movies and music feature prominently. See my label cloud for a better idea. All comnments and opinions on this blog are my own, and do not in any way reflect the opinions/position of my employer (past/current/future).

20 January 2009

Great service

Once in a while, my faith in customer service is restored in large SA businesses. This evening's flight back from Cape Town, the steward (Ronald) was great not only in his attitude and service, but just his general conduct. The flight was generally full of people flying back from a business trip (or onwards to a business trip); and he was really engaging and friendly; even to the point of joking whether we were being served Nando's (chicken) of Cheese Burgers (beef). I just wish other stewards were as good.

Movie: Transporter 3

For some reason, I have enjoyed the Transporter series. Mindless action, with some seriously impressive car stunts - and interestingly enough, tackling some hot topic; human trafficing in the first one, child kidnapping in the second, and now environmental issues.

It is mindless fun, and at that it is quite brilliant. The continuity in cast of the two major characters (Jason Statham as the transporter and François Berléand as the French inspector) clearly help and in fact there is continuity in the plot also.

18 January 2009

Taxi Drivers

Taxi drivers are interesting people to talk to - if you can communicate with them that is.

There is the taxi driver in Hamburg, who took me to the local office from a metro station (there was a bus, but the schedule was not very regular). He happened to have worked in Johannesburg CBD with a German logistics company until 2001, and has been to SA on numerous occasions. He was particulary sad about the demise of the Carlton Hotel, which he considered one of the best hotels he has ever stayed in.

The second taxi driver in Hamburg (from the office to the airport) was very scathing about debt, capitalism and the financial crisis. He was not impressed that Hamburg (and other cities in Germany) were in debt, and questioned the value and morality of capitalism. The financial crisis has clearly affected his business - he thinks that he is carrying about 50% less passengers when compared to previous years.

And finally, there was the Taxi driver in Frankfurt. With a coffee in one hand, a cell phone in the other - he managed to take us from the hotel to the office through the autobahn in, a somtimes quite terrifying, ride. He was constanly on the phone, seemingly arguing with a number of people, in Hindi - so I did not understand much. But it seems that there are at least some taxi drivers who have universal attributes :)