What would happen if an F-16 or a new Jumbo Jet landed in the time of the Romans, or the Pharoe’s or even before or surprised Jenkis Khan during his domination?What would the look on their faces be when they thought their invention of gun powder was the new might and you nuked them? OK that’s mean, how about I take on a whole army with one machine gun and some grenades?

What if I showed them a trick or two with my little toy planes and laser pointers, or stunned them with a Hummer truck, ran them over with a 1940 Panza Tank during one of the stupid wars to take more ground? How about introducing a TV with a DVD player with real people playing a sport which will only be known after another 1000 or so years?

What if I take a photo of them and show them what they look like, how about I introduce the mirror and then shortly after that introduce creams and cosmetics, the Hair brush and comb, the scissors, the electric shaver, the perfume… now you would have to start think marketing here, would it actually be too early for manhood? maybe they liked their stink, they loved their hairy bodies, the ugly nose was fashionable, and so forth.

Now lets dive deeper, if your an average human, you know the house fly, that little pest that comes in and sits on your favorite food or warms itself with your coffee in a cold room, well imagine the technical one made by humans. Now take that and take it only 100 years back to 1910 what do you think will happen to the guys behind the innovations you enjoy today?

What about the small and big creatures we keep finding on our planet? the ones that cant see but have headlights to lure smaller creatures for survival? we still don’t know, but insist on knowing more and more, it never ends, and if it does then you just started to get the big  picture. They say innovate, don’t imitate, irrelevant yet so powerful in its deep meanings.

How about the satellite this and the satellite that? remember back in the 80’s the large formats of videos and arcade games? well how would you like to walk around back then as a teenager with a mobile phone that has it all and so. so much more stuff? What would the fancy cameras and KODAK do when you slap them with a digital photo? And how about that famous TV producer and Hollywood gang do when you dig out of your purse a video camcorder the size of a pack of cigarettes? what would MP3 do to the music industry in the 70’s 80’s and 90’s forget mozart and the other bunch of amazing musicians.

Now when we hold our breath and dive a bit more, i want you to capitalize on this day & ages technological breakthrough’s in medicine and saving people. What would the grandaddy of modern day science Leonardo Da Vinci do with all his breakthroughs, I guess he would be a happy man knowing that he led us so far with so little, great man.

Now lets take a thing we only say WOW! when we see a new model and move on with our day. Back in the early 1900’s or even in the wild wild west days, or take it back a bit to the days of the glorious warriors who rode horses as a mean of fast travel, and you guessed right, drive by them in a Range Rover sport or even a speed bike, forget that maybe just cruise by in a laid back Harley. Would they drop dead in fear?

From telling the time to travel, from our modern day science labs to this computer I type on, from the communication tools we complain about to the small italian espresso machine in my living room, from the iphone to the invention of sushi, take a leap of faith into the future and whatever you have today will be tomorrows joke.

We should be thankful for the wishful thinking of our ancestors and everyone in between, we should thank the thinkers, the believers, the funders, the users, the complainers who made things better, we should thank the pessimists and the optimists, the eager beavers and the thrill seekers, the people who swam against the rising tide, the brave boys that took the lead into the unknown should be recognized not only in text books but in daily newspapers to remind the new generation of what it takes to move on in this mysterious world, we should embed the spirit of evolution in every thing we do, we should ask on a continuos basis: what next?” were do we go from here? were are we headed? and keep moving.

Never underestimate the power of questioning, there is no such thing as stupid questions and ideas, they all mean something, in the end.

An important scientific innovation rarely makes its way by gradually winning over and converting its opponents: What does happen is that the opponents gradually die out. Max Plank

Do you use a public bathroom away from home? The one at work? The airport? The fastfood chain? The local mosque? The mall? or are you one of the thousands that just decides to keep it in till your home? A dirty subject but someone has to point out the health and service dangers lurking in the background.

As I approach the toilet in Manchester train station I notice a small que with a coin machine that opens the door “ 3 pounds per visit” WOW! I thought, nice!! before I understood anything about the pay per toilet thing, I was discouraging it due to human rights issues and the mere fact its only human, and you shouldn’t need to pay to go!

But as I picked up milage on both travel and age, I came to realize the brilliance of such practice, simply awesome I say. When I got the change in place and got my entrance to the toilet,I noticed two cleaning ladies and everyone entering respecting the cleanliness of the premises.

Synchronized people, entering, finishing, cleaning in a clean environment and happy for the service provided. No one throwing tissues on the floor, actually finding tissues, available toilet paper by the dozen( the good stuff, not the one that evaporates), soap is plenty, dryers are powerful and by the dozen, no smells, just clean antibacterial detergents and warm atmosphere.

Everywhere you go in Europe there are people taking care of the toilets! It simply makes me feel sad! In one study I read they placed a small picture of a fly( sadly aiming practice for men-sorry girls, men tend to do that) in the urinal bowl so people would stop splashing all over the place. The trial in Amsterdam shciphol airport reported more than 60% less splash rate than before the darn fly! If people go to this extent in serving the bathroom customers, shouldn’t we start to at least come to where they were in the 70’s? and not compare our self to the stone age era?

As you arrive at any of the 3 airports in Saudi Arabia, and you just have to go! you make your way to the very few little rooms that have a semi worn down picture of a woman or man to relive yourself. As you enter thinking it is a rest room as they say politely, you tend to try and hold your breath for as long as it takes, watch out to not touch any visible or invisible germ colony. You also attempt to open the door of the toilet without any hands or feet, I have been known to have opened doors with my butt! Suddenly the 7 hour airplane toilet seems wonderful luxury(even after meal time/ wake up time on the flight).

The look, feel, smell, lack of everything is just amazing. The workers look at you waiting for you to look everywhere for tissues, even in garbage to wipe your hands, then they ask you in a head shaking manner “ do you want?” as they hold out the forbidden fruit of the moment : TISSUES! And you have to tip them for the stinky atmosphere, the smells, the new add on bacteria and germs who you will introduce to your family and friends” let me introduce to my new lethal friends, I picked them up at the local airport toilet, be nice, smile & say hi…come on give them a nice, big hug!”

This is the second ugly face they see of our country when foreigners arrive for the first time, after the airport service, look & feel and treatment, our fascinating, sate of the art, germ in your face, unforgettable aroma, airport toilets! Never have I been amazed at any of the local toilets, except for the very few five star locations, few!

The standard for toilets, is to let the GM of the airport use this one, the one that passengers use and airport staff suffer from, and not his own private washroom. The managing director of the food chain should have his toilet in one of the locations, Banks CEO’s should use customer ones too, and so on.

I know its a dirty little secret only users know of, but we have all faced this and had no time, no idea what to do, no intention to raise such a filthy subject to a company, what will they think of me? THEY HAVE TO WAKE UP AND RESPECT PEOPLE!

Q: Would the manager of whatever firm invite people in his home or his family to this stinky place? and wait to see the look on their face when they come out? I thought so!

Just like Rain happens, natural needs are met, we exhale & Inhale, going to the toilet is one of them! and it should be high on any organization or country agenda, it is service you know, wether we admit it or not!

People will pay to get a better and cleaner environment. If everyone only paid 1 riyal( 30 cents) for each toilet visit, then companies can get better chemicals, better workers, more workers, a daily supply of toilet good paper, maintenance and dryers would all work, people will repspect each visit.

While European countries face their problems head on and give awards to the best toilet in a country, we aim to see who has the filthiest toilet to go unreported and survive without water and toilet paper and other BARE necessities. It is a very strong statement in terms of service and quality, and the issue, or should I say Tissue, will be raised and used

Looks like I need to drink less fluids and eat nothing before coming home on my next flight, at least till I get past any airport facility.

Our mission is to represent the interest and aspirations of ‘away from home’ toilet providers, suppliers and users of all types and to act as the catalyst for change in the pursuit of standards of excellence in all areas of public toilet provision and management.

British Toilet Association

p.s. the picture above was awarded to the tourist toilet available at the Tower of London where the Jewels are displayed

mamdooh.alradadi

me@mamdoohalradadi.com

He never knew it would be winter. Her hotness cooled down his summer madness, her winds of change managed to put an end to his empty sunny beaches, her freezing cold touch ignites his flame, warms his heart,tickles his love buds.Her tender loving heart completes his now aged and stale state.

Snow flakes replace his sandy terrain, chilled sub zero temperatures slam his scorching ovens.Bright white landscapes blanket his orange yellow & red summer branding.Her breeze picks him up where others left him hanging on a limb,over the Himalayan mountains they glide, bitter cold weather is what he feels. “The cold is so true and harsh, how is she keeping me warm?” he thinks.

As she contains him and brings him closer, he can feel and hear the crackle of the cold winter fire place, smells the aroma of burning fresh timber, he imagines her on a white rug in his arms as the chestnuts burn away ready for peeling and nibbling while he plays her soft curly hair, every once in a while removing it from her forehead to see those seductive eyes of winter.

Its funny how summer & Winter collide and make that burning feeling they die for, its funny how she could change her climate by a simple touch.

He holds her tight as she takes him down hill on a 10,000 ft. ski drop, the speed, the winds, the slopes,the brightness, every move she makes he mimics, he surrenders to her every beat and fights to keep up with every jump, he can’t fight it so he pulls her closer and closer, she childishly shrugs him back, he somehow smiles at her move and closes his eyes for the next drop.

As they approach the bottom of her wild white ski drop, he realizes he is at the pinnacle of his love for her.

What makes him wonder is his search for love was always summer based, while winter came crawling into his unarmed unprepared heart, this time around he was not willing to fight of the evil love and its hurting powers, this time around he lost the battle & the war, his white surrender flags could be barely seen across her white plains, perfect he thought!

It did not make sense to him? for every snow flake she dropped on him, his heart beats rose a notch, for every degree down in temperature he grew hotter and boiled up a degree, she smiled, he frowned for he could not resist this winter feeling. For every shiver sent down his spine, she was there to defuse.  How ironic? how out of the box thought Jack? how could she do this to me? how does one control the heat with winter itself? what happens when the winter is over? will she disappear and make way for another season?

All that he knows is he feels warm and while people complain about climate change that they caused, he contains the matter and smiles at his fate to a season only cherished for its celebrations, for he feels deep down his warm sunny heart, winter is his new summer.

Winter was her name, and summer was his game, I heard that Autumn was their aim

mamdooh.alradadi

me@mamdoohalradadi.com

I never meant to waste a day of my life at an airport, but what do you know? it happens she said, I am reffering to the lady who denied me access to the plane upon my stupid late arrival. I was right next to the gate, watching the Istanbul crowd make their boarding, waiting to embark. What I did not notice was my watch was one hour behind!

I know it does happen, and I have been there many times. What happens next is the anxiety levels and anger start to fade away and make way for reality to kick in. I make my way to the not so friendly airport staff, and start to say to myself what next? well, once you say that, it gets worse.The staff was a trainee, with a manager teaching her how not to do it, with all the arrogance of the Germans and the show off attitude of a male training a beautiful young girl” what do you think we have planes going out every hour to Jeddah?” was his answer when I said I have to be home for important work…typical.

So what do you do? went to the airport Sheraton, walking distance, I had with me a carry on that felt so heavy I swear I could just throw it and feel free, but then again thought of the not so happy people back home who wanted what was in the bag from chocolates and other goodies they like. Made it to the Hotel, actually took off every single thing I was wearing, ran to the shower, dried up opened the TV and slept it off.

I could have wandered in the city of Frankfurt for a day, but that’s old news to me. So I slept and woke up, and only then did I notice my watch was late one hour, I suddenly imagined myself tom hanks living in the airport after missing my second flight home. When I woke up, I did feel hungry and that 100 gram hand made choclate with hazelnuts for five euros did not do me good except for some extra centimeters around my waist. I walked out of the hotel, not naked of course, down to the airport empty aisles, across the long waiting areas and down to the famous burger place mcdonalds.

I grabbed my meal, somked my puff, made it back watching and revisiting my life in streaks of lightning. I miss my family, noticed my age, wanted to change again, knew I was in transit already, started to get these strange feelings and ideas about the next in line, my children.

You see, when you grow up, you do grow up with all the bits and pieces and experiences you go through in life, not what you get in school. I wonder about my boy, can I just implant what I know already in his head so he won’t go through any troubles in life? what about my baby girl and what she will be facing when she starts to wonder off in life, travelling to far away lands and places meeting and interacting with the many faces that come through her life?

I start to fear those people, I pray they stay away from what I have been through and seen, even if it was an experience. I wish I could wave a magical wand and move harm from their way. I watch the father with his little boys scrambling in the coffee shop, bored and wanting to play, way past their bed time, tired and confused, but comforted by the warmth of their parents.

I look at the tired faces and the happy faces, the lost and well travelled, the sick, the cleaner, the police officer drinking his coffee, the taxi driver jungle, I hear the businessmen impressing one another on what they know, the loud voices of the drunken bunch echoing through the walls of the hotel bar. Many things seem to be moving in slow motion now that I have nothing but to reflect on my life.

I take myself and place my butt infront of the pc to type my words, I am happy that my watch is in sync so I do not miss my flight again, I wonder what you all are doing, snugged away at your favorite spots, reading my words worlds apart, I miss you all, and promise you musch more in the coming days, as my reflections have uncovered many things I wish to share with you and get your usual insight on things we take lightly yet mean the world to us.

When you are alone you see clearly, when you are with someone you like what you see and enjoy it. I like what I see and enjoy what I don’t.

Airports are a great place to watch people and see human interactions at its best, even when you miss a flight, embrace the moment.

Now if you excuse me, I have many books and magazines I can’t wait to get my hands on! I love you all, and excuse my short and out of the box note for today, it was a rough one….smile

As I land in this new country that barely speaks English in Eastern Europe I wonder what lies ahead for me. I always seem to be alone on my distinctive adventurous exploration trips. I always seem to be excited for the amazing days that face me with great anticipation and admiration like a little boy on a school trip to the forest.

I enter the hotel and unpack after a pleasant ride from the airport with a lady Taxi driver and a nice smiling front desk staff check in. The room is spacious and warm, the weather is cold and so is the scenery with the brutal memories this country holds. As I stand at the window overlooking the city, I can’t take my mind off what has happened here years ago and the despair this country went through with its entire people.

The lobby is fine and large, old and beaten down, redone for saving face reasons. I head to the lounge and ask for a warm cup of coffee and a piece of that delicious looking cake. I am served and loved every minute of it. I take a drag from my cigarette and watch slowly the people around me; all seem to either be on business or just casual family day out at the hotel, all is good and entertaining. A beautiful little girl sits silently with her father enjoying her strawberry tart and juice as he sips on his coffee, she brings tears to my eyes as I remember my darling daughter back home.

I am still all alone.

I move out wearing my heavy coat and meet the tour guide, a 40 plus year old guy that I can relate to, very interesting and very informed, just like people I like, perfect I think. We drive around from place to place, moving slowly from one area to the other. He asks nicely if he can pick up his niece and drop her off, I accept excitedly, more sweet little girls to remind how lonely I am getting. She gets in the car, a wonderful happy child, speaks some Croatian dialect to the guy and off they go, he drives off the beaten track and up and down some wonderful scenery that I can say is purely stunning!

We arrive at this old cottage surrounded by what I call picture perfect natural scenes, just like God intended. Nothing can be more inviting than this. She jumps out of the car and off to meet her granny, I want to live here with my children and family I think.

We drive off and onto our tour we jump, from one place to the other, each place is more inviting than the other, more enchanting and full of history than the previous sight, it just gets better, more I demand, I want more, he delivers every time. I ask him how come the whole country is full of beautiful wonderful looking people, especially women, he replies “that is a nice problem to have, don’t you think?”I agree.

The darkness falls upon us and the weather starts to get really cold, our journey is nearing its end for the day. I have identified where I want to spend the other days of this trip, or should I call my family and ask them to come join me forever in this wonderland? I can see my daughter playing in the wilderness and going to school with me, I can see my mother socializing with the neighbors and my father enjoying the wonderful scenery and pouring his heart into his ever so wonderful writing master pieces. I can see my sister with her children walking over to us, and my brothers getting ready to go out, and my friends passing by to take us out for a wild evening, including a roast lamb over a live fire in the woods with veggie soups and salads, it’s the good life. I can already smell the aroma in the air and feel the comfort of my family.

After the night is over, I am still alone and very lonely, I miss you, whoever you may be, I just know someone should have been with me to share this wonderful experience.

Some guys have all the luck, I am luckier than them I know it. Some have been programmed to live how society dictates them, others like me are dictated by the moment and whatever life throws at them, everything has a price to be paid, Lonely.

I never complain I say, it’s to myself that I say, why do I remain this way? Is it permanent or determinant from my side? Is this the aftermath of my life’s bruises and cruises? Is it me running away from the problems of my days? Is it a discovery journey I had embedded in my subconscious mind to please my inner child? It’s all good as I say, everyday,  brings me closer to my final stay.

I want to have it all I guess, freedom and belonging, escaping and being trapped, flying and being grounded, my parents never held me down, they helped me grow my wings, and I thank them for this blessing and all my flight preparations.

I have to say, I have traveled so far away from my original roots, in every direction and every altitude, I keep on discovering and observing, trying to know the why in why itself, and conducting endless battles with my convictions and beliefs, challenging the cannot in everything that screams not doable. By nature I refuse, by default I become lonely, for how long I question, the answers are in the pipeline, short or long, I can wait, for as you all know, the best is always yet to come.

For so long, I long to belong, I hope I don’t wait till its too late, while fate takes its toll, and I never get to take that stroll with my baby doll and her handsome brother, for so long, and just maybe with the half that completes me.

Cherish the moment, even if you feel lonely, for lonesome is only temporary, unless you are eager for that lonely fever.

Mamdooh.alradadi

me@mamdoohalradadi.com

He never cared about the destination as much as the adventure that lies before each and every trip he takes. He seemed to love every bit of the way, he never complained, never complicated things when it was vacation time. He liked what people did in preparation for such vacations but never seemed to give it much thought.

All he needed was to become a world traveler, one that would set foot on one continent and not know where his second one would land him. All he cared about was 3 things; Location, location, location. The rest would be handled semi  automatically, things like budgeting, ticketing, hoteling, planing all made things a bit too complicated for him, besides he sucked at planing, and the travel agents were worse.

He would start his saving not too far out from the date of take off, he would have decided on the location well in advance and imagined what it would be like. He was never right in his imaginative world, he loved every bit of being wrong. Once he decides, the traveler starts the joy ride, even if it is 2 month’s away. The excitement grows with every page ripped off the calendar, his smiles seemed to grow, his health gets better, his eagerness to get things done sky rocket, his friends and family can also feel the vibes.

As the days diminish and the picture perfect collects the missing pieces he thrives. He can smell the jet fuel at the airport and the messy counters, he knows that behind that mess and security exists freedom and deep soul searching dives. The sun or snow do not affect his feelings, they only ignite the fire, increase the heat of the final moments.

The night before his travel, you cannot find him or track him down, he is busy doing his favorite last minute shopping, all the little unimportant things that he can find wherever he goes, he just loves it. his bags are all packed, not closed yet, he knows what to wear, what attitude, and what things will be with him in his casual jeans. His Ipod is loaded, his books on stand by, his sport shoes and most of all his passport.

He arrives at the airport just in time to relax a bit after passport and baggage control, armed with his boarding pass that spells London on it, he is ready to take off. He walks around his airport lounge smiling at every loving soul he lays eyes on, his tension levels already low, are fading away into a comforting laid back attitude, he needs it. He spots his gate, locks the info, gets there slow and steady, nothing but his carry on, passes his boarding, enjoys that ripping sound the land steward makes when he gives him back his seat number.

He enters through the tube checking the faces that will be transported like little ants across countries on a giant bird we call a plane. He seats himself comfortably at the aisle seat he loves best, he is greeted with a nice smile and some refreshments, he sips slowly observing the boarding humans, he smiles at the ones making a fuss about their requirements, sometimes I feel sorry for these hostesses, but today is not one of those days, I have to relax my every single sense to sub zero levels.

He takes a paper, scans it fast, throws it away in front of him, no news for me for 30 days, only news of activities, shows, nightlife, day life, afternoon life, lazy life, wonderful. The plane takes off, he reads through half his book then doses off, he is suddenly tapped on for lunch, he accepts with a smile, the guy next to him growls something at the hostess for waking him up, he manages to go back to sleep after finishing the first book.

Many people forget all those fine details he thinks, he then is notified that its 30 minutes to landing, People start to change looks, freshen up, perfumes blast in the air, girls unwind and suddenly look great, guys fresh as ever, everyone has an agenda to follow. More reasons for smiling some more he thinks, he quickly takes a glance to get an idea what the airport size and magnitude is like.

They land safely, the temperature 16 degrees, a bit windy, some rain expected, perfect he thinks, London as usual. Its been a while he thinks, avoiding the peoples choice has made him forget about this city and country for a while, finally he thinks. They deport and are now moving on the long escalators, faces, more faces, young old, teen, you name it, they are everywhere, simply amazing.

The shopping at airports is one his favorite things he does in life, its so thrilling and rewarding, all the varieties and people selling on the spur of the moment amaze & tickle his fantasies. he goes to the book store, grabs more than 5 magazines, a new book, a detailed event magazine, a chocolate bar, a box of chewing gum and maybe a CD or missing gadget, its all boy fun he thinks. Go ahead spoil yourself, nobody does it better than you.

The subway is the way to go in London, or get hit with a high Taxi fare as usual? Maybe a Taxi he thinks, he stops the funny looking black Taxi, that have kept him guessing what make these things were ever since he was a young boy? He sights a double decker bus and the accent is so English. Where to sir? he gives him the address and off he goes, he loves the Taxi window sight seeing and would always break a conversation with the cities most educated living souls, Taxi Drivers.

After he gets the scoop, he arrives at the Hotel, signs in, is led to his quarters, he unpacks, sends stuff to the housekeeping for pressing and hanging, a no brainer way is the only way to go n this and every trip. He removes every thing he is wearing, heads for the toilet for that hot shower he is dying for. The sound of the water hitting on his head awakens his senses, he just loves the aromatic gels these hotels carry, he indulges for another 10 minutes. When he is done, he lays on the bed in his towel, imagining the possibilities and what lies ahead.

He hits the on button on the remote control and zooms in to a local station, radio that is, more fun and music, he keeps it on till he falls a sleep for a quick power nap. Wakes up very slowly, opens his eyes, looks at the ceiling and light outside, remembers he is no longer home, smiles some more.

The rest of the trip can be found in his daily diary that is said to be locked up in his deepest vaults that is safely placed at one corner of his head.

A journey is a person in itself; no two are alike. And all plans, safeguards, policing, and coercion are fruitless. We find that after years of struggle that we do not take a trip; a trip takes us.

John Steinbeck

They used to gather every weekend, we used to accompany them by force, they used to have fun as sisters and brothers with their whole family, they were my aunts and uncles. We were young children then, only observers as they say, we only digested and filtered what we wanted to remember and threw the rest to the cats.

• They used to have fights every week, and meet the very next. We have the same fights, we meet after months.
• The wife has daily battles with her husband, makes up the next day as if nothing ever happened, and does it again & again, we choose the easy way out and divorce one another.
• People took peoples words to the Bank, today we take them to court.
• Simple was king back then, complicated is the way to be today.
• Schools forced us to learn back then, garbage in garbage out, schools are starting to listen in on humans real needs for progress.
• Controlled directed information was then, today its up for grabs, its what you do with it that counts.
• Cars were Bigger, gas thirsty, now they are mean and lean, tiny and cute, trying to free themselves from gas and ready for a Sun tan instead.
• Managers were Bosses then, today they are part of the team.
• Pepsi and Seven up were icons back then, now its back to basics and natural, how ironic?
• Sell, Sell, Sell was the way of yesteryear, service, service, service is what it is now.
• Expensive travel and phone calls are replaced with train fare air travel and hours of free air time to chat on the phone.
• Post cards are replaced with email messages and sms mumbo jumbo.
• Music was really made by real people then, today its electronic most of the time, love was the theme back then, its hard core house and brain draining techno today.
• Business was done by long traveling days and exploration, today its B2B without leaving your office.
• Movies were about wars and horror, now they are about funny and run away from reality more than ever.
• Marriage is taken lightly and faster today, it was a life sentence back then, one you wanted to serve the years.
• World domination and cold wars were replaced with strategic political takeovers today.
• Reading was written in finely binded books, you can have the same today in PDF ebooks.
• Food was wholesome, today its the latest version of fresh fast food.
• Mom and pop stores filed the world, today they are replaced with things they call Mega Malls, and Hyper Markets with cheaper items.
• What was handsome and pretty back then is not so these days, the measures have changed so fast no one knows what to expect.
• Women were the backbone and never reached the highest ranks in the past, today men are aware of them eventually taking over their male dominant world for the last 20 centuries,
• Children were fragile in the early years, now they are forming into a stronger kind of children driven by the new fast lifestyles they live today.
• Money was cash and coins, today its electronic.
• Travel agencies were a big deal and actually the only deal, today they are replaced with expedia.com & hotels.com.
• Learning was on campus, today in your pajamas at your mac.
• American muscle cars ruled the planet for more than 70 years, today the far east and Europe are bringing the American car companies to a melt down, They are now starting to listen to their customers like the Japanese did in the 70’s on American soil.
• People had no choice on what to watch except for their countries broadcasting arms, today you can watch a program airing in the US within 24 hours in the Middle East.
• Music was made on LP’s and Cartridge tapes, today its Mp3 electronic music. Movies were on big rolls of film today on DVD and computer files.
• Computers had 128 mb memory, today phones have 4 GB’s of internal memory expandable to 8GB and more.
• Photos were taken and developed in 24 hours, now you can take the same one 100 times and edit it, upload it to the net in less than 2 minutes.
• In the old days the ugly people or so they say, were labeled that for as long as they lived. Today you walk into a clinic and change your look as many times as you wish and have that pointed nose you always wanted or those hairs you longed for after you lost yours.

Back then for me to write to you all everyday would be a killer task, today I write to you in my towel ready for my midnight shower before I sleep and just press publish and its yours!

If back then is now in a few days or years, have a great then & now

mamdooh.alradadi

me@mamdoohalradadi.com

This traveller had more millage than any airline could handle. He has vowed to travel the world to explore and report his findings to the #1 travel channel 1000th episode. They needed to uncover the best of the best in everything worldwide.They wanted him to travel freely and explore everything everywhere money was not an issue. He had been to the fanciest of places first to uncover the realities on these over marketed destinations.

In many cases he reported and pictured countries that were once the pinnacle of tourism that finally came crashing to their knees, and in other cases discovered new countries on the rise, He was one of the first to discover the beauty of the Croatian coast line and the tourism fever going on there. He also pointed out how the foreign fidiling and seminar business ended Budapest’s rich culture with all the fake fancy hotels.

He also pointed out that Dubai was the best, the largest, the fanciest, the spendiest, the trendiest new thing in the world, but astonished his viewers when he said its got that FAKE feeling attached to it, unlike the utter magnificent european heritage and history feeling it gives any traveller.

His mission this month was to visit to a new country that has surprised many travelers, both business and passerby’s with its uncanny levels of service that was simply shocking for that region in the world. He decides to get over with this country as fast as  possible as his next destination is Uzbekistan where he will take the silk road all the way to China.

He arrives on the countries national air carrier. He cannot complain on his 12 hour flight he was pampered like a baby. His smallest details in economy class were taken into consideration. His seating was larger than the normal airlines by the exact width and length, I wonder what first class is like he thought to himself. The food was just as if his mother was cooking it( that was there secret). The attendants were not only smiling, they were making the whole plane crack up in humor! ( Their previous jobs were stand up comedians and a 2 year intensive training program in service and sales).

As the plane landed he was wondering why the flight had to end so fast?

“ Ladies & Gentlemen, thank you for letting us serve you. You have been a great company, and we enjoyed every minute of our time together. I have delivered to each one of you a thank you  card with the flight details and your picture with me for your diaries. You are all getting a 50% discount for choosing us on your next flight to wherever you may wish and it is valid for 3 years. Free auto transport in the city is available for all passengers. If you are not satisfied with our flight or service at the airport, you can email me or call me for a full, no questions asked refund of your ticket. We hope you enjoyed you flight, Have a wonderful stay” “

He laughs out loud! is this a joke?” “No!” say’s the guy next to him. “its real i had my tickets redeemed when a guy at the airport called me by another name last month”.He leaves the airport without checking in at the customs, he is greeted with smiles and more smiles from the men at the gates, they are in uniform, but all smiles? he asks someone at one of the every few desks that has a sign that says “ please ask me something, anything, anytime” it had 4 people as if waiting to jump at you in enthusiasm, “ why don’t I need my passport stamped?” “It has sir, as soon as you landed, we have you on our systems, stamping is now optional as a souvenir if you may”

His bags are held by a man dressed in a suit and his name is clearly printed on a large LED sign on the baggage trolly. He rechecks his eticket to make sure its economy?His large black 2010 mercedes drives up his 5 star hotel, the doors open and he is welcomed by a senior manager looking man, he looks around him and everyone arriving at the hotel is getting the same treatment. He is fascinated by the smiles . He starts to look around him in all directions to find an angry looking

individual, no one in sight. The front desk ask him his preferences, he is asked if he has been here before? No, is the answer, he is upgraded to a suite and executive level on the spot. He gets in, takes a shower in an amazing display of oriental oils and soaps, everything is brand new, but as if at home. he finishes, gets dressed and decides to have lunch at a local restaurant which he walks to, he is walking in a desert country and the weather on his   iphone reads 16 degrees? how come the weather channel said 36 today? he realizes that the walking path is air-conditioned with the right mix, the area is well landscaped and he has been walking for a few miles now!

The people in the street look familiar to him, the faces seem to be smiling all along, some even offered to help him by stopping their cars. He could not help but notice the parked lincoln taxi’s that read FREE on top all parked every 500 meters or so. he was looking at the clean roads, the marble floorings, the neat little shops, the endless bluetooth messages to guide him through the city. What is this place? how can they do this, how did they manage?

He gets to the place, has lunch, wonderful food, amazing people, it just gets better. At night he manages to get to the local mall. There he wonders if these people working here are from earth or part of an experiment in service standards. He actually tried finding a face not smiling or waiting to serve him?

He tried so hard to make an argument with one shop, then gave up when the person in the shop felt he was not happy and decided to hand him a 100 dollar gift voucher, the irony was he was bargaining on a 30 dollar item.He tries to get more involved and starts a mission to visit Banks and government agencies, hospitals and other food outlets.

He finds that a battle for service excellence was going on between the whole service industry. The target was to go beyond pleasing the normal customers, the target was to find real service measured in decency and honesty, real versus fake, the fastest efficiency versus fast, WOW versus thank you’s. This place was going places he thought.

As he drives to the airport he remembers his month in SAUDI ARABIA and wonders why other countries can’t copy what this amazing new world number one service provider? He loves his tan, his desert adventures, the food was impeccable and achieved full marks by any standard,

“Boy do I have a story to tell the rest of the world” he sinks into his first class upgrade bed, closes his eyes and thinks when he can bring his family here?

He who serves is the master of the game.

mamdooh al-radadi

me@mamdoohalradadi.com

Here is a tale of two times.Our national airlines, only 5 years back & today. In the past we were treated like any monopoly company treats its customers, take it or leave it. We would blow our heads off in front of the sick people that worked there and get reponses like” what are you gonna do about my lousy service?Please visit our complaint department and see if I care or not!” by the way, that was the smoothest of responses.

So where do I begin? First off, I haven’t been on any of their international flights in over 10 years, and I have covered some heavy milage over the course of those years. I have never, ever given them a good word of mouth, never imagined travelling on their new aircrafts even if they promised me a dance between the moon & New York city!

I think the best way to do this is have a recent incident with all its pitfalls and benchmark against the past, that’s right, the past being the worst.

A few day’s ago I needed to travel to two cities in our country (not international) and I was a bit late in waking up (5 in the morning), did not pack my bags the night before, did not have my boarding pass, with a flight taking off at 7.00 in the morn. I barely pack my things, don’t forget a thing, lock everything down, feed the fish, move in half a wake speed, get to the airport at 6 am. We can now start the two scenarios:

Old school: Forget it, unless I know someone on the inside, drive back home, or give it a chance, a very wild shot. I enter the airport, very messed up, frowning staff; no one wants to make eye contact with you except for 1 in 10 staff members. I eneter panicking and it shows BIG TIME on my face, I run to the nearest counter, and wait in eager beaver style, showing them I am First class to get attention. The guy at the counter looks up at me, looks away in a very slow motion like movement. Then gives me hope again by looking my way again, and then does his act once again.

Finally he points at me with his finger, as if I am a new cadete at the the army, and he is our drill sergeant. I move fast and with the biggest smile I can make, he asks me where I’m going? I suddenly forget, then pull out my ticket and pass it on to him in total frightness. He looks at me with a big laugh and stutters something like” gates are closed!” “ NEXT!”. I look at him in total droopy, cute, lovable style trying to show him I am in trouble and need his help. He repeats the famous word “ NEXT!” the guy behind me, makes his move, I block his every move, and make one more attempt only this time with a bit more aggressive tone” Come on! I am first class and there is 1 hour left!!” He replies with total anger” Why don’t you people arrive on time, we always face people like you, can’t you get your act together” I lose my temper and tell him to remember I am the customer here, not him behind the counter! He snaps back at me like some hound dog” DO you have a problem with my service? Go see our supervisor”.

I snatch my tickets and move away to think for a minute. I don’t know what to do? I suddenly see a friend from back in school days, I run to him; he greets me and asks if he can help. He takes my ticket and goes to the counter, pushes the guy aside and starts to check and use his walkie talkie, I can see the counter freak staring at me, he whispers something to my friend and my friend looks at him and continues working away. It’s all about who you know they tell me. He appears from behind the counter wth my boarding card, I run and stare at the freak behind the counter wanting to go and smear my boarding over his face with a kid attitude to get him pissed off, I have no time for this I run to the gates.

I am greeted with two staff members mumbling away about lasts night football game and the bad manager that was off today. They ask me about my destination, I answer like a good boy… Sorry, the flight has closed its gates, where have you been? Come on man! It seems the freak behind the counter had his way finally. Suddenly my friend felt there was going to be an incident like this, and makes his magic.

A ridiculous bus that goes up and down like a yo-yo arrives to drive me and 3 other passengers to the plane, we enter with disgusted views from the hostesses and stewards, they despise me, the customer who was late 5 minutes. We sit and wait in the plane for a while, suddenly the pilot sweet talks us and says they will be delayed for 15 minutes only. The crowd roars in anger. We eventually leave the airport at 8.30 am. An hour and half late, people lose their connecting flights, miss their appointments, disgusted by the service repeat after one another “ What’s new? “ as if an echoe in an empty valley. I think their slogan was ” Whoever said the customer was ever right, needs 2 learn a few tricks from us, Besides we are the only airline…lol”

I swear I used to hear stories of people fighting with customers and getting away with it. I heard of a story where one staff member was boasting he beat up his manager and got away with it. Seniors in management would book all the first class seats and you would never find a seat as a customer in rush times. Hostesses were always PMSing, stewards were talking from the tip of their nose, requests were frowned upon, special requests denied, and you were ordered to leave your seat in favour of a family seating preference, not requested. The airport was a total mess, toilets were more disgusting than sewers.

I can write books on the subject, I chose to do what silent customers do: Let them drown in their own mess, sooner or later they will face reality, reality hurts and so will they.

Suddenly I see light at the end of the tunnel, maybe in 10 years, but it’s still light.

TODAY: I was late, I was business class, flight was closed, I was upgraded by the help of a delightful new yong hire, the atmoshphere in the airport was fineer than ever, the hostesses were ok, the stewards were amazing, the food was great, the experience was a surprise to me, and the planes were new!

Should I give them a chance on my next international flight? Would you?

mamdooh al-radadi

me@mamdoohalradadi.com

I’m standing in the passport line in Bangkok after a very long business trip in the asian wonderlands, and I’m striking a conversation with the guy in front of me boasting and showing off my latest visits to Tokyo, Seoul, Taipei and Bangkok. Suddenly this cool American 30 something guy kills me right there and then with his trip details! “ Well you see I’m here for as long as they allow me, How long do you think they will give me on a an airport tourist visa?” “ I guess you can get away with 30 days”” I wish I could stay for 6 weeks I have a lot to cover” So, one thing leads to another and the line is long and slow, it turns out this young man has just sold his shares in a major internet company in the US and is traveling the world for 2 years! He had covered every country from Australia & Japan to Thailand in the last 6 months or so. Thats what I call travel my friends.

As I was listening to this wonderful travel details in a nutshell, I couldn’t quite get over the feeling of a sad truth we have in our part of the universe, sorry planet( I was always a bad student in math :-p). In each country, the people or citizens of that country have a certain travel pattern they take every year. In the west there is no pattern, it is more of a discovery of our wonderful planet. Budgets are decent and well studied & planned early before the time to travel arrives. They would save and really stretch their travel Dollars or Euros to cover as much milage as possible. They are professional users of Expedia Travel and cheap tickets.com, They take advantage of their airline & credit card miles.

Now, enough of the good life. Let’s go to the ultra good life, ladies & gents I am about to reveal the naked truth on our unique, repeated, no brainer travel routes and destinations and everything in between.

First off, let’s start with the budget: There is no budget. Grab as much as you can, in whatever form of cash or credit cards, by hook or by crook, get that Money!

Financial Techniques used: One of the famous ways to get fast cash in the country was the quick        “ Buy a car on installments and sell transaction” Here the buyer is in no need of a car, he needs cash to travel. You need an escape goat to complete the transaction, by this I mean a very close friend that will endorse you at the bank or car company( by signing the complete installment documents in his name as a guarantor). After the purchase of the USD40,000- car, it is sold for USD35,000- on the spot with a small loss of only USD5000- in less than 3 hours!( who said I was going to pay anyway says the buyer!). Now let’s not go to the dark area where this close beloved 12 year old friend goes to jail for being an idiot to trust his only friend, we are talking about the journey here.

Clothes used during travel: VERSACE, POLO RALPH LAUREN, ARMANI SUITS( in summer for the pool), anything that looks exactly like the catalog, I swear I used to see them holding the catalog of this years fashion, and say proudly to the salesman” I will have one like this page, and one like that page, and give me another catalog I need more”. They would cost on average a trips worth to any normal human. Remember, he sold the car and is not paying for it( excuse my exaggeration, not all sell cars, other just ask for it or beg well in advance of summer).

Now the fun part, all the travel agencies in the country are fighting for 5 destinations for 80% of the population: Marbella, Cannes, Paris, London, Cairo/Beirut in that exact order. And here’s the funny part, when you ask them where they are going they try to misguide you. “ well you see I don’t want to be where there is too many Arabs, something far and new”. All of them end up kissing as if its a holiday gathering back home in the streets on the champs elyses and Edgware road. OK Oxford street and Porto Bunos.

The most important thing for these poor suckers is to be seen, not to discover and enjoy the wonderful destinations that this round thing called earth has to offer. Prestige is the most important end result. It is very important that when he gets back home, he can boast for the 18th time in 18 years he has been to Marbella,Cannes,Paris,London,Cairo/Beirut( Repeated intentionally) and met Ahmed and Mohammed and saw the girls from the last 15 years on the same streets and night clubs. He also had a few meals at the Entrée cottes in Paris, and had the famous cannes fresh fruit ice cream and danced at Jimmies in Monte Carlo. He also shopped for some pair of shoes on Oxford street and got ripped off again at Edgware road for the third time!

Fake, Dumb and numb is what I feel when I hear their stories every year. The other funny thing that I don’t get is the financial planing they do to appear richer than life.Let’s say the budget for a 30 day trip  like this costs around USD30-40,000- the trick is to actually raise the average spending per day by reducing the total days

on vacation. So if you reduce it to 2 weeks, you would be spending $2700 instead of $1600/ day. Imagine what these smart travelers can do with the extra cash? I can’t believe I said smart there, I meant masterminds.

Now the car thing seemed to fade away, so the Banks jumped in and started vacation loans, the country needs housing loans and we give away vacation loans and credit cards, since there is  demand I have no problem with marketing such no brainer loans to people that need the brains to think!

The aftermath: Home sweet home, isn’t really that anymore. “Now I have to start rejecting and giving busy signals to my best friend! I can’t believe he is sending me messages stating that the Bank is calling and he is asking if I defaulted 3 installments, the nerve of these people! what are friends for!?” says the rich traveller of Arabia.

For a change people, just once try something new, I swear its cool and rewarding.

I wonder what it would be like if all these people were denied travel visas to these destinations? would they stay home or make me hate the Far East? or Africa? or neighboring countries to France or Spain… I wonder?

Enjoy the Journey I say.

Mamdooh Al-Radadi

me@mamdoohalradadi.com