Seoulscapade

While staying in Arles in January ‘08, my wife and I took day trips around the countryside. The longest one was to go and see the highest bridge in the world, the Millau Viaduc, once I discovered it was in the region. I just couldn’t miss the opportunity.

Unlike our previous day trips, everyone in the house we were staying in (all my family members who were there) decided to come with us on this one. We consulted timetables the night before and saw that our choices were limited. There were certain trains we’d have to catch without fail, or things would go awry.

Although this gargantuan bridge is supposedly one of France’s top tourist destinations, train times were certainly not convenient, at least not in the off season.

An early start the next morning was called for to get the Arles to Beziers train at 6.38 am. It to arrive in Beziers at 8.19. Then we had to catch the Beziers to Millau train at 9.10 am, which would arrive in Millau at 10.58. Here are the first leg details:

Arles to Beziers     6.38 – 8.19
Beziers to Millau    9.10 – 10.58

Total Time: 4h 20m
Total Cost : 72.00 Euro for 2 adults

However, the day began, as it often did, with a delayed train—a problem that cursed us the whole time we were in the south of France. I got pretty nervous on the platform, thinking that we’d have to call everything off. Fortunately, the Arles to Beziers turned up in time for us to continue, and we got to Beziers on time for our train to Millau.

As we drew into Millau, the bridge loomed up ahead but we only got glimpses of it—awesome nonetheless. In Millau, we had little time before the only viable afternoon train back at 13.50 pm. It was around 11 am, and we still had no way of knowing how to see the bridge.

It was a good thing that we got to Millau before the all important lunchtime, as the information desk at the train station was still open. At this point, I want to stress something for anyone who wants to do something similar: book the train home, if you have not done so, as soon as you arrive.

Now, for our next glitch. The woman at the desk informed us in passable English that tours of the bridge were off for the off season! That meant we had to arrange a taxi tour, which thankfully was not difficult.

The information desk contacted a driver and he soon arrived to go over the details, mainly with my father. It was agreed that we’d be picked up at midday from the station. At this point, I felt secure that we really were going to get to that bridge. I had fears something would go wrong.

That driver did not end up taking us, since I suspect he preferred to partake of the all-important lunch, or else he was booked. Another driver showed up instead, at the agreed time. He could only spare a certain amount of time because he was booked for 1.30 pm, and we had to get back to the station around then, so we were all of the same mind in regard to time. Everyone set off with a sense of urgency, with our first stop being the visitor’s centre underneath the bridge.

Great views and photo ops are offered at the visitor’s centre. However, car park fencing is in the way of the best spots for taking photos, and you can only get to them through the visitor’s centre. I asked a lady at a desk about going through for some quick pictures. But apparently I needed to be guided. I was directed to another room where tour guides awaited the every whim of visitors—well, it wasn’t quite like that.

A man and a woman were in there, chatting animatedly. In typical French counter-service style, I was looked up and down with petulance for interrupting the conversation. They said I’d have to wait for a guided tour. I certainly had no time for that with the taxi driver waiting. So, I went back to the first lady. She said that I would assuredly get through, if I simply asked the guides. For anyone who is interested in the technical name for this maneuver, it is called “being given the run around.”

I went back to the guides, who this time demonstrated some impatience. Upon a further explanation of what I wanted, I was told everything was off or canceled, or something to that effect. The message was simple: why don’t you just piss off? I got the message and left those champions of French tourism to their self-absorption. I went outside to enjoy the bridge without time to waste.

Soon we set off for a tour around the base of the bridge, stopping occasionally for photo ops. The driver, I am sure, had done this many times before. He knew just where to stop. Then we went up to the top, where there is a large car park and a viewing area. The viewing area is reached by a steep walkway. Time was limited, and the driver gave us maybe 15 minutes here, so we had to make haste up to the viewing area. But what a magnificent view greeted us. From this spot, I could better picture how they put the thing together, and I couldn’t help but marvel at the heights at which workers toiled, out over the valley.

I was the first one to that spot and the last to leave. In the end, I had to make a dash down a hill so as not to delay the driver. Then we set off for a trip over the bridge. This was a marvel, speeding high up across a valley as if in an airplane, an effect enhanced by the see through barriers on the bridge. It was over much too fast.

After that, we had to get back to Millau from the other side, which was a longer, more winding trip. At one point we parked at a corner on the way down a hill and were able to take in all of Millau as well as a side view of the whole expanse of the bridge. But as with other stops, we had to hurry along to get back to the station in time.

Here are the taxi tour details:

Time Taken: 12:00 – 1:30
Driver charged 55 Euros and we added a good tip. He got 80.

That bridge was one of the vacation highlights of my whole time in the south of France for me, so huge and yet appearing so light to the eye, and in seeing it the day after we’d seen Pont du Gard, I was privileged to a juxtaposition of mighty bridges nearly 2000 years apart in history. As a friend of my remarked when I told him of this, it would be interesting to see which is still standing in the next 2000 years.

Our tour finished at the station with little time to spare until boarding the train for Beziers. With satisfaction, I reflected that the goal of the day had been accomplished. Now we could relax. Well, not quite. Unfortunately, the small two carriage train was full to capacity with teenagers, of all things. They seemed to be from some camp or other. This turned out to be a real blight on the day. But before I get to that, here are the details of the trains:

Millau to Beziers    13.50 – 15.40
Beziers – Arles       16.05 – 17.34

Total Time: 3h 44m
Total Cost : 72.00 Euro for 2 adults

This is why I mentioned earlier that it is mandatory to book seats for that home train. Otherwise, you might have to wait until around 4 pm sometime.

We got on the train and walked from one end to the other looking for a seat. But there were teenagers lounging over everything, doing all they could not to give up any spare seats. Some were laying down across side lounge seats, which would have been ideal for the family. There were bags and clothes over every empty seat, perhaps put there by the teens out on the platform, so everything appeared to be occupied. I just pressed on through the train searching for somewhere with everyone following behind me.

I heard later that when my mother and father, who are over 70, sought seats, they were met with shrugs and teens refusing to move their feet from seats in front of them. I didn’t see this because I was up ahead. But had I witnessed such insolence, I think I would have lost all composure. My mother had even showed her ticket to some lout to try to indicate that she had a right to a seat as much as anyone, and in fact, hers was a first class Euro pass ticket. Eventually some teens did make room for my parents and my sister.

I’d gotten the end of the train and was by the luggage racks and toilet near the exists. It was separated from the seating by thick glass. This is when I looked back to see that others were getting seats. I thought I’d prefer to stay where I was. Although there was nowhere to sit, there was space to move around and stretch, I could take pictures easily out of the window, and I would not have to deal with the brats. Apparently, the conductor, who had a room on the other side of this area, did not want to deal with them either. He did nothing about making sure people who paid for a seat had a seat.

Sunah was with me, but my mother motioned her in to a extra seat they’d managed to secure—presumably not without rolling eyes and sneers from the brats. So that left me with my nephew. That’s where we stayed for the whole trip.

During that journey, I occasionally looked back through the thick glass at the carriage, only to see the teenagers carrying on, with one guy in particular talking, laughing, and shouting every time I looked around. He was one of the three people opposite to where Sunah was sitting. At least everyone’s got a seat, I thought, but I couldn’t put up with all the teenage carry on. I had not realized, though, just how bad everything was in there.

I couldn’t hear anything really, except for the train, but Sunah told me later that the loud noise and carrying on in the carriage didn’t stop the whole time, especially not the merde coming from that guy. Also, it seemed he and others might have been poking fun and talking badly about my family in French.

When I met her getting off the carriage, I knew something was wrong. She looked so tense and stressed. By this time, she was suffering a terrible headache, brought on by the teen noise and behavior. She wished she had stayed with me. My parents and sister confirmed how bad it was, too. I had no idea. Again, had I been in there, somehow stuck with them, I don’t think I would have handled it like a gentleman.

The insolence and arrogance shown on that train was perhaps the worse I’ve ever come across of teenagers anywhere in my life. Sunah was certainly shocked, since something like that defies the order of the universe for someone brought up in Confucian Korea, where it would absolutely never happen. Even for me, when I think back to when I was a teen in Australia, I know I was an idiot, but I would never have behaved like that.

The incident was an indictment of the pampered “millennial” generation, many of whom seem to understand little beyond narcissistic gratification, and clearly demonstrated the failure of the liberal parenting experiment. The sad thing about it, too, is that those morons won’t understand what merde-heads they were until perhaps 10 years from now, or later, when they think back to their youth. Although most probably won’t remember that train trip, anyway.

But I will. I’ll always remember that on this day we saw the best of French technology and the worst of French breeding. I guess you can’t have everything. C’est la vie.

Near Les Invalides, close to the Ecole Militaire Metro station, at 54 Avenue Bosquet to be precise, is where I had my worst ever restaurant experience in Paris. The restaurant in question goes by the name of La Fontaine De Jade, although it has Restaurant Chinois Thailandais emblazoned above its windows. It’s a Thai restaurant that I will never return to, and I urge everyone to avoid it.

My wife and I had passed it the day before we went there, and we had agreed that it would be a good place for a meal after a hard day’s sightseeing around Paris. As we walked passed, I had imagined I would order large bowls of saffron colored jasmine rice and a sumptuous vegetarian green curry dish. That would be just the thing!

We hadn’t properly noted where it was, and were not familiar with the area, so after our hard day’s sightseeing the next day, it took some trouble to find the place again. That extra traipsing about added to our weariness, yet gave us even more of an appetite. Unfortunate, really . . . for the weariness and the appetite only sharpened the bitterness of the experience.

The place was empty when we walked in, and all staff were at a back table having dinner. The waiter seated us and delivered our first disappointment: the menu. The expectation that a Thai restaurant would offer up a range of vegetarian choices was not to be. We could find only two besides rice, a vegetable chop suey dish and a fried noodle side dish. Would those be enough for two to share? I inquired. The waiter former a small oval with the hands, indicating that it was not likely to be enough. To be fair, he was kindly and honest.

I resort to seafood in situations like this, where vegetarian eating is not catered for, so along with the chop suey and noodles, we ordered a prawn soup each at over 8 Euros a serve. Surely, they would practically constitute a full meal. Guess again. The soups came in decorated bowls, each of which would best be described as about the size of a coffee cup, though not as deep. The waiter seemed almost apologetic when serving them.

The soup was good, but anything would have been given how hungry we were. It could easily have been made from a packet. In my soup was the end of a baby corn, a sliver of mushroom, remnants of the kind of peeled tomato you find in a can, and prawns. The soups were downed pretty quickly. When the chop suey and noodles came, we apportioned them out and we got about a handful each from each dish.

The main ingredient in the chop suey was aged bean sprouts. I spotted amongst it what looked like another section of my baby corn—perhaps the other part to the baby corn piece in my soup—and there was another sliver of mushroom. A sliver of carrot was also in evidence. The noodles had bean sprouts as well. Yes, we had more than enough bean sprouts to go round. It was woeful.

Maybe we were even getting the left overs of what the staff had been eating when we walked in

After we ate that few cents worth, which cost us many Euros, I was still hungry, but I wasn’t going to order any more to eat from this place. However, I had been craving a coffee all afternoon, and so I ordered us one each.

After the coffees, we asked for the bill and it was delivered not by the kindly waiter but by a Thai gentleman who slithered up with it. Yes, human beings can slither. You don’t see it often but when you do, it is unmistakable and cannot really be described in any other way.

He had a really serious look, too, this guy, a look I’d seen before in Thailand. It is a look borne of a mix of aggression, impatience, fear, insecurity and envy, and it is at its most intense when its bearer is on the verge of clasping money, and when the only thing in the way of that money is you, the customer. You could swear guys like this are trying their best to stifle screams of exasperation at such a critical juncture. All they want is for you to disappear.

The bill came to 45 Euros, believe it or not. He bought back the tray with the change in a hunched but swift manner, after I’d already indicated no change was necessary, since a tip is customary. I said “That’s for you.” But he just kept muttering, “merci, au revior,” or something of the sort, repeatedly, in a dismissive way, as he slunk around behind me.

Then we were farewelled at the door by a waitress with a forced smile. I was getting the impression that they had been prepared for trouble.

I’m not the type, and instead simply vote with my feet, or put the word out. So here I am, putting the word out that, for me, out of everywhere I’ve ever eaten in Paris on my several visits there, La Fontaine De Jade, has the distinction of being the worst.

OK, here’s some explanation to the following. I’ve traveled a bit and have put up with what most have to while traveling without a fuss. But everyone has their limits and when you stand back and take a cold hard look at it, some things about traveling really suck.

Why I became so annoyed about what people commonly put up with is perhaps because I’ve been spoiled by the Korea’s excellent transport systems–far superior to those of Europe. This discrepancy, and the fact that I’m less tolerant than I used to be, has compelled to write of the following ordeal.

To start our 2 week vacation to the south of France in January, 2008, we had to endure a 10-12 hour flight to Paris, then transfer to a 1.3 hour flight to Nice, which was delayed for another couple of hours. It was wearying as you can imagine.

Livestock Conditions

I was dreading Flight AF 267 from Incheon to Paris because I knew it’d be grueling. As it turn out, it was, with additional unforeseen trials adding to the hardship.

The Boeing 777 used for this flight had a seating arrangement installed for economy that borders on the inhuman. I mean, I’m strongly against the appalling confinements livestock suffer, and in all fairness I also object to such conditions being applied to humans.  It was like a kind of torture and patently not suitable for 10-12 hour flights. I really think flight seating measurements should be looked into because I swear the airlines, or Air France at least, are shrinking them centimetre by centimetre each year, on the sly.

I am not a large person at just 77 kgs and I’m under 6 feet tall, but what I was expected to fit into gave me practically no moving space at all. It was similar, I guess, to what sows sufferer in factory farm gestation crates, which is torture. I find it hard to believe that anyone else could find this restricted space acceptable after paying so much for an airline ticket. Why do people put up with it?

I had to get out to stretch at one point and upon my return, while standing in the aisle, I was taken aback by the space I was expected to fit in. Just seeing it from that angle, I just couldn’t believe it. I stood there kind of stunned. I actually went and inspected other rows to check that my seating was not worse then everyone else’s.

The Three Little Pigs

As if the cramped quarters weren’t bad enough, we had what can only be described as inconsiderate arseholes sitting in front of us, who henceforth shall be known as the three little pigs. The pigs were French, by the way, not Korean. As soon as they sat down they inclined their seats as far back as they would go, and that’s how they stayed for the duration of the flight. That reduced my space considerably. Sometimes the guy in front of my was bouncing hard on his seat as if to try and force it back further. Unbelievable. It took a lot of restraint to keep my cool.

To be fair, the monk was not as bad, he actually raised his seat to eat meals. However, that was no help to us, since a fat lady was in front of my wife and the bouncer, a pompous prick with a nose like something on a gargoyle was in front me. Both of them were oblivious to any consideration towards us. As the flight began to drain our energies, we began to hate them.

It was also aggravating that the three little pigs had the seats by the exit door, so they had all the leg room they could want. And so, they spread themselves out in that direction as well by leaving items lying around their feet. They had to be asked several times by airline staff to pick up their things. But they pretty much ignored these directives.

In situations like this, I often give up because I don’t want to lower my standards to their level with petulant retaliations, and because I am sometimes benumbed by the sheer enormity of human stupidity and ignorance—so insurmountable that it is foolish to even bother to protest. It’s like when you a dealing with children, or even pigs, you indulge their lack of insight. It does not always do much to lessen the anger.

Double Standards by Air France

Does Air France use such a torturous seating arrangement because it’s a Korean flight and because there is a mistaken belief that Koreans are smaller than Caucasians? It is true that the Japanese are smaller on average than Caucasians, and it might have once been true of Koreans, but it is not true of the average Korean anymore. Air France needs to adjust its policy, not just for Caucasians like me flying out of Korea, but for Koreans, too.

On top of everything an incident occurred that could only be described as discrimination. My wife, who is Korean, was like me finding the confinement of the seating hard to cope with. By the way, she is somewhat smaller than me, and even she found it torturous. The woman in front of her ignored any protest. At one point, it got too much for my wife and she asked one of the stewards to get the person in front to put her seat up. The steward simply shrugged and did nothing. However, later, my wife noticed a steward asking a Korean passenger to put their seat up at the request of someone seated behind them.

Is there a special rule for French passengers and another rule for everyone else? It would seem so because, to add insult to injury, the rude people in front of us were not even made to put their seats up during meal service. Putting seats upright is usually a standard requirement on all airlines at meal times. Why does Air France not practice this policy? Do you have any idea how difficult it is to eat a meal when the person in front of you has the seat back as far as it will go?

The only advantage of nearly having my chest crush by the seat in front of me was that the video screen was now closer. This was useful because my video screen was tiny. As I later discovered, the screen sizes on seats were completely random as to who got a good screen and who didn’t. Some people had new larger screens while others like me, who presumably paid the same price for a ticket, got a tiny old fashion screen that was like watching an iPod. This only added to the resentment of the conditions I was expected to endure.

Why didn’t I put my seat back to give myself a few more inches? Because I hate to inconvenience the person behind me.

Vegetarian? Rabbit Food Will Do.

I was the subject of reverse discrimination, however, because I had pre-ordered a vegetarian meal. That meant I was served before everyone else. That part was fine. But what could the nation renowned for its rich cuisine deliver? For my main course, I was given salad. For my side dish, I was given yet another salad—the same kind of salad! One was big, the other was small. So, my meal mostly consisted of lettuce and and cherry tomatoes.

But I will give them credit where it was due. My meal was not delayed.

Delay After Delay

It was a great relief to get off that flight, but then we had to contend with Charles De Gaulle, which is a dump compared to Korea’s Inchean. We couldn’t see any signs for transfer to a domestic flight and had to face French information desk staff to get help. We were encouraged by not getting as much disdain as I expected. There was even a smile. I suspected something was wrong—or perhaps she was new.

We rushed to another terminal and got to the security check a couple of minutes before the close of boarding. We needn’t have worried about the time because the fight was delayed. And then as we were boarding, boarding was delayed because they wouldn’t open the plane door. Then on board the flight was delayed further while they moved cargo around for balance. I doubt such a delay would even happen in Korea—people wouldn’t stand for it.

By this time weariness was setting in, and so was body odor from stewing in one’s own juices for something like 14 hours. This plane wasn’t full, though. It was so empty, the first 10 rows had to move to the back to provide ballast for take off!

The aircraft was an Airbus A320, and this actually had leg room, by which I mean room for a pair of average legs plus some extra space for leg movement. This kind of aircraft would have been much better for the Seoul to Paris flight.

The flight to Nice was pretty quick and the airport wasn’t busy. Fortunately I had researched about getting into town, but I asked at the information desk anyway, who told me less than what I already knew. It’s funny, they’ll tell you to catch a bus at platform 5 but they will not tell you where platform 5 is. They will help you but only with the  minimum they can get away with. We couldn’t see any signs to direct us the the platform, and it was only be chance we eventually found it.

Getting Into Nice

To get into Nice from the airport’s Terminal 2 take bus 98. Pay the jaded driver around 4 Euros per person. Don’t bother to ask him for any help unless you can interpret grunts. He’ll give you a one day pass that is good for all bus routes.

Bus 98 does not have a map of its route anywhere. You don’t know where it will stop, and when it stops, you don’t know the name of the stop. This would never happen in Korea, not with such a pressing need for efficient mass movement. In France, if it’s only bedraggled tourists that will be faced with confusion, who gives a shit?

I had a map I’d printed off and an idea of where we were going in my head. Still, it was dark because of the delayed flight, which I hadn’t planned on, and I could not read any signs of significance. The scale threw me as well. Distances were smaller than expected. So, I didn’t have my bearings and wasn’t ready for our stop.

That was another bit of bad luck, as the bus got stuck in a main drag traffic jam before the next stop. Fortunately, our walk to the hotel didn’t take long because, as mentioned, distances were not great.

Salvation at the Roosevelt

At the Hotel Roosevelt, at the very doorstep of our destination, the whole dynamics of the journey changed. Here we were treated like humans. We were greeted in a most pleasant and helpful way by the desk clerk. The hotel foyer was simple, clean and neat and this was also reflected in the room. A kettle was even supplied, so we could have a welcome coffee, which you don’t often get these days.

What a relief it was to finally collapse on the bed, after what ended up being around 18 hours of uncomfortable travel. We were thoroughly exhausted.

Air France and Institutionalized Merde

My last word on this jaunt is that because Air France has a monopoly on direct flights to Paris from Korea, it possibly believes it can get away with anything. However, I suggest that Air France rethink their seating policies and upgrade their fleet. I certainly won’t be taking the direct route to Paris again on Air France until I hear that conditions are better.

To learn how to improve, Air France need only look and learn from the Koreans. The flight back from Paris was magical with Korean Air compared to the torture of getting there with Air France. With Korean Air, people in economy have more space. The video screens were the largest I had ever seen and the viewing selections the widest range I have ever seen. There must have been about 20 to 30 movies to watch. The staff ensures seats are upright at meal times and were courteous at all times.

I won’t go on because, quite frankly, what the French could learn from Koreans, in terms of customer service, transport and consideration of others, would fill an entire book.