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Published: March 17th 2011
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After a few hours rest, we were off to the races again – this time for the final dinner of the conference, our Gala dinner. We were again a small and intimate group as we set off in the bus for a restaurant only a block away.
We left the bus and again had to cross the street – as we started to cross, two red and yellow dragons began to perform a welcome dance along to some music. It was a great surprise to the group, and a fun way to welcome everyone. We walked up a flight of outdoor steps to get a better look at their performance and after it ended, headed inside.
We again had to walk up a well-worn staircase to the private room where we would be having dinner. The room had a stage, which gave the delegates some idea of what was to come. But even we didn’t know that the performances would be so detailed!
We were invited to sit down (and the chairs were really beautiful and comfortable – just like what I’m looking for in my dining room, actually) and the musicians took the stage.
They started
with a welcome drum, with two men drumming on stage, and three women drumming just in front of the stage. Afterwards, we were treated to a series of performances that all seemed to include a different, and unfamiliar instrument. There was one set of bamboo pipes that required the musician to clap her hands in front of them to push air through them.
There was also a special instrument that we’d learned about the other day at the puppet show – in the past, only men were allowed to play it, and even women weren’t allowed to hear the music from it.
It basically sounds like an electric guitar, but is far cooler. The man playing it was great at audience interaction, and when he switched to another version of it, he let a couple of the people at the front table give it a try to. He even played “Old Susannah,” which got a laugh from everyone.
As this was going on, we were eating and enjoying each other’s company. The food was again in several courses, and everyone seemed to really enjoy it. Our events planners even arranged for a gift for the delegates –
a wooden water puppet replica (which of course I accidentally left behind at the hotel and no one could find it). It was really a fun gift and everyone was thrilled with it.
After dinner, we had a short thank you speech for our host and took a group photo before heading back to the hotel and their bar, Angelina. It’s named after Angelina Jolie, who adopted a Vietnamese child – they wanted to honor her.
It’s quite a hip kind of bar for a place that’s as historical as the Metropole is, but we enjoying continuing the evening’s festivities there and chatting to each other. The conference again felt like it went SO quickly, and soon, we were off on a 38 hour journey to return home.
***
As a side note, I have to make a complaint. And also offer some praise. We changed our flight and went instead to Kuala Lumpur to connect to Charles de Gaulle airport. Holy cow, is that place incredible!
I had no idea.
They have so many shops it feels as though you are in a mall – they’re mostly upscale, but they have some great deals
and a number of duty free shops as well. I bought some gifts there, including some lovely L’Occitane lavender hand lotion – my favorite.
It was a very modern and comfortable airport, and I definitely hope to be there again soon – if you have to connect, or if you’re looking for a place to travel to, KL is a good destination (I haven’t been outside the airport unfortunately, but we may be planning something there soon!).
Now, on to the complaining.
So I got my two bottles of L’Occitane lotion – a French brand, I might add. They were sealed in a duty free bag, which is what they give you nowadays to keep you from having to give up anything that’s over 3oz. – if you’re not familiar with current security regulations for flying, you can only bring liquids (which include gels, creams, etc) that are 3oz or less, and can fit in a small plastic bag (there’s a certain restriction on that too, but I can’t remember it off the top of my head – I have a regulation set of Ziplocs for that purpose).
Anything that’s over 3oz, or if you can’t
tell how many ounces are in it (and it doesn't count if you have a six ounce jar that you've used half of by the way), must be placed in your carry-on luggage, or security will confiscate it. I know that, and abide these rules accordingly.
But when you shop duty-free and buy creams over 3oz, they put it in a special plastic bag, which is then sealed. There’s a note on it that it can’t be opened before you arrive at your destination. That’s what I got for my lotion in KL. Great.
Well, when I went through security in Paris, they took my lotion. First, they said it was leaking. It wasn’t. I told them that, and then they asked where I bought it. I told them, and they said because Malaysia isn’t a European country, I couldn’t bring it with me. It apparently didn’t matter that the bag was sealed, that I bought it in the airport and never left the airport, and apparently, it was lost on them that it’s a FRENCH PRODUCT. So it was shipped FROM FRANCE to Malaysia, where it sat IN THE AIRPORT, where I bought it and flew it
BACK TO FRANCE.
I was so mad.
The awesome part about this is that they’ll probably take it home to their wives or something, and that defeats the whole object of not allowing me to take it with me on the plane. I mean, I was taking it OUT of France. Jerks.
Even better, one of them didn’t even know Malaysia was a country. He thought it was part of Singapore. Awesome.
Then, I also got called out of line for special screening (picture what everyone’s been complaining about in the US lately). I don’t mind the extra screening, but this was like icing on top of the cake.
Plus, I was super mad because one of the lotions was a gift for my mom, whose been looking after my dog. I was so angry.
But I did manage to pick her up something in the airport just before I left, so I at least feel better about that. Though I don’t feel as though I want to rush back to Paris anytime soon. It just makes me mad that when you follow the rules, you still don’t get treated fairly. I’d understand if
I’d taken something over 3oz from my suitcase and kept it in my carry on – that’s my fault for not knowing the rules. But this is something that they just made up. I travel a lot and I’ve never heard that before. And now I’m out $40. Ugh.
Anyway, I now need to let that go and concentrate on getting some rest when I arrive home. I did manage to sleep a bit on the 13 hours flight from KL to Paris, but I’m currently typing this on the flight from CDG to JFK, and we’ve got about three hours to go, and I haven’t slept at all. I’m not even really sure what day or time it feels like! Ah jet lag…
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