Day 2 of work - Productivity & Efficiency in Vet Surgery - dental and electro-excision

Jan 4, 2012. Wednesday. 2nd day at work.

A new client is difficult to come by as there are now 47 veterinary practices in Singapore. This was revealed to me by one veteran drugs salesman who saw me yesterday. We knew each other for more than 40 years and he had become busier now, with so many new practices compared to 4 when I first started out in 1982.

A quiet slim lady brought a black-brown Miniature Schnauzer to the Surgery as the dog had two loose front teeth. From her expressions and conversations directed at me, she would prefer me to handle her case. "I will do it together with Dr Vanessa as part of my mentoring process. When did the dog eat?"

"My dog ate at 10 am. Is it OK to do anaesthesia? "
"It is ideal that the dog should not have eaten for 10 hours before anaesthesia as the dog may vomit," I said. As the owner did not have time to postpone the tooth extraction, I said, "I will do it at 5 pm which is 6 hours later. It should be OK".

5-year Min Schnauzer, Female Spayed.
Chief complaint: 2 loose front tooth with exposed roots were surprisingly seen. Other teeth in good condition.
"i used the finger brush and gel," the owner said.
"You must have been brushing too vigorously," I replied. "The gums of the two incisors are exposed. It is best not to use the finger brush. In any case, the back teeth needs scaling."
Chief Complaint - My Schnauzer has two loose front teeth



Complaint No. 2 - My Schnauzer has a big ear lump that increases in size







4886 - 4895. Electro-surgery productivity



2nd complaint: R ear inflammatory nodule, firm, 7mmx7mmx5mm with central hole.
"A bee stung her tongue sometime ago," the lady said.
"Any bees seen in the last 2 weeks?" I asked as the owner said that the lump grows bigger in the past days. The dog had been scratching the right ear.
"It is best to excise it while the dog is under General Anaesthesia (GA) for dental scaling," I advised. "If you don't want histopathology, we will not know whether it is cancerous or not. A biopsy can be done but it costs money and delays. The best is for me to excise it since it is growing bigger day by day ."

The lady agreed to dental scaling and excision of the lump but not to blood test or histopathology. I asked Dr Vanessa to check the heart and pulse as well as general examination of the lungs. All were OK. So, the GA will be at 5pm to be done jointly.

I wanted to demonstrate how to be efficient and productive in veterinary surgery to my staff as it is one thing to lecture to young ones. Show how it is done will be best.

PLANNING
Scrub & clean ear well before sedation. "Any clipping of the ear?" Min asked me. "No need," I said.
I checked that Min had prepared the setting up of the electrosurgery equipment, dental scaling equipment and covered the operating table with a towel to prevent electric shocks to the vet on contact. After all this was done, the dog's dosage of IV anaesthesia was calculated. "Give 50% of the calculated dose and you have around 10 minutes of anaesthesia," I said to Dr Vanessa.

5 min after sedation, electro-excision by Dr Vanessa was completed within 60 seconds and then dental scaling was done. As the dog had little tartar due to the teacher's vigorous finger brushing, the dental scaling of the back teeth took a very short time.

Productivity means using the correct amount of anaesthetic drugs and least time to complete surgery and dental scaling. Therefore, the dog has the best chance of survival on the operating table. Delays by not preparing the equipment at first increases the risk and that would account for some deaths on the operating table.

The following is what happened as I asked my intern, Mr Lim to do the recording. Normally Min would do it but Mr Lim needed to be hands-on to learn if he wanted to be a vet after his National Service.

5.22 pm Sedate at 50% calculated dosage*
5.25 pm Electro-excision
5.26 pm Dental scaling
5.36 pm End of dental scaling
*10kg, healthy, young dog Domitor = 0.4 ml, Ketamine = 0.5ml IV combined

This dog - 5 years is not young. The staff is to calculate on paper the dosage
D= 0.11ml + K=0.14 ml. Total = 0.25ml. Add 0.25ml Hartmann = 0.5 ml to be given IV.

Normally, the IV anaesthesia lasts around 15-30 minutes. Very slight reaction to electro-incision but was OK for dental scaling done by Dr Vanessa. Two teeth and nodule given to owner.

USE OF ELECTRODES
"Don't bend the circular wire," I said to Dr Vanessa as she looped the nodule and the wire tilted at 45 degrees. "It is a very thin wire. It will break and it is very expensive to buy." The wire loop was originally 90 degrees to the electrode. Training a person how to use the tools of the trade correctly is important and acquiring the correct skills makes a vet more productive. The Vet School provides some knowledge of electro-surgery but I doubt every of the 60 - 80 students has the chance to handle the electro-surgical equipment. So they acquire the skills after graduation.

WART OR NODULE?
I would say it is an inflammatory nodule (with a hole in its centre, possibly bee sting). Dr V thinks it is an ear wart. "Physically, it does not look like a wart," I argued. "A wart usually is cauliflower shaped or rough, not smooth. However, veterinary medicine has exceptions and I can't say this is not an ear wart. Since the owner does not want histopathology, we can't send the lump to the laboratory for examination. Therefore, there is no definitive diagnosis."

VACCINATION AND HEARTWORM PREVENTION
"I give heartworm tablets monthly," the owner said. "The last vaccination was 2 years ago." I explained to her the difference between the usual vaccination and heartworm.

"You may be getting your priority wrong. In the countryside like England, where most dogs don't meet other dogs, some dogs may be safe without further vaccination as they don't get exposed to many other dogs as in city living." I explained. "Parvovirus is still around. Distemper is still present in unvaccinated puppies. Have you been to England?" I asked. She said she was in England for two years and understood what I said.

PRODUCTIVITY & EFFICIENCY
If there is no proper planning, a lot of time is wasted. This dog would need top up IV anaesthesia or isoflurane gas to complete the job. As demonstrated by me, the whole process after sedation took 3 minutes for electro-excision and 10 minutes for dental scaling.
OUTCOME
The dog was groggy for over 1 hour as I did not use Antisedan. Went home without problems as at 12 hours at the time of writing this first draft report. However, in this final copy, the owner had texted me saying that the surgical area was weepy and inflamed and what should she do?
"Hi dr Sing, I'm .....Brought ....to ur clinic for teeth extraction n ear surgery on Wed. ....ear is not doing well...Had inflammation. Can I administer iodine on her ear? What shd I do? I gv her medication as indicated, didn't bring her out. Can y kindly advise? Thanks very much
Younger people prefer texting. I phoned her and advised daily cleaning with the iodine and to let the dog wear the e-collar as she had been scratching the surgical area. She would let me know if there are problems again.

AN EXAMPLE OF POOR PRODUCTIVITY WASTING MANY HOURS HAPPENED ON THE SAME DAY

The HDB contractor came to replace the wooden bathroom door (rotten base) with a plastic one. He dismantled the door and then found that the plastic one was too narrow to fit in. 3 weeks ago, another person had come to measure the dimensions. This was really a waste of time, being unproductive. This is what I mean by productivity and efficiency.

"Please put back the old door," I asked the thin Malaysian man from Malacca with jet black hair. "I have a lady vet and you can understand that she can't use the bathroom with no doors. She works to past 8 pm at night. For men, an open door may be OK"

The contractor actually took the trouble to fix back the old door and said, "OK. I will get the new door back to the factory to replace one with correct dimensions today." He had previously said it might take 2 weeks, since Chinese New Year falls on Jan 22, 2012 and most workers had gone home. I was surprised. He even gave me two discarded wooden boards for me as shelving.


UPDATES AND MORE PICTURES AT:
http://www.sinpets.com/F6/20120107vigorous-finger-tooth-brush-exposed-roots-Schnauzer-singapore_ToaPayohVets.htm

799. lst case of 2012. A white puppy that coughs like an old man

Jan 3, 2012 10.30 am



My first case of the year. Poodle, Male, 3 months. Bought 7 days ago. Past 3 days, cough as if choked. Some runny nose with clear discharge. Excellent appetite. Had 2 vaccinations. 1 free vaccination voucher from a vet for 3rd vaccination and therefore I don't expect the father to see me for the 3rd vaccination.

The father had phoned for check up and the time. He came in the morning before 12 noon and I was on duty. As regards toilet training, I was surprised that the puppy was so intelligent as he would wait for treats by peeing a little bit first. There was one other case of a "manipulative" puppy reported to me during my over 600 case studies of house-breaking in puppies. One particular puppy I remember well is that this puppy would pick up all the toys and put them in a box when retiring to sleep at night.

"How's the puppy toilet trained?" I asked. The puppy was confined closely for grate training (plastic grate on one half, on top of grated floor, according to the father). He was very kind as to e-mail me 3 pictures of the most handsome "Bichon" I have ever seen and I share them with my readers. The Seller said it was a poodle but I said it looked more like a Bichon.




4935. Crate training and treats for a smart puppy. He would go to the grate and pees a bit waiting for treats!

Examination as follows:
1. General exam - mouth and throat palpation - coughed
2. Detailed exam - opened mouth, puppy resisted, shone white torchlight - no tonsillitis, no ulcers
Auscultation of lungs - no lung sounds

"Overall, the puppy had kennel cough," I said. "It is not serious and he will recover in 10 days' time provided no exertion."

QUESTIONS ASKED
1. What causes kennel cough? A virus and bacteria usually from other dogs inside the breeder's premises. The breeders in Singapore do not vaccinate against kennel cough and so the kennel cough germs persist in the kennels. However they vaccinate the puppies against parvovirus as they have had suffered heavy losses for not doing it. So, most puppies sold in Singapore are immune to parvoviral infections causing severe diarrhoea and vomiting. And deaths."

2. "But the puppy had no cough when we brought her home for the first 3 days," the daughter said. "Many breeders gave the puppy cough mixtures and medication and so the cough was suppressed for the first 3 days," I said. "If the breeder said that the puppy for sale has coughing, the owner will not buy him. So, it is difficult for him to be honest. In your case, the puppy is 3 months old and is stronger and so the kennel cough should not be a big problem. Those puppies at 2 months old suffer more as their immune system may be poorer. Some of them die from pneumonia!"

"The breeder is also selling smaller puppies," the father said. "Size may not be correlated with age," I said.

3. "When should I send my puppy for the 3rd vaccination?" the father had e-mailed me later.
This depends on how fast the puppy recovers. As a guideline, 7-14 days after the puppy has stopped coughing.

Educational Video: Kennel Cough in Puppies produced by two St Andrews' Sec 3
students in collaboration with Dr Sing
I was surprised to meet a busy multinational company employee father and his daughter in junior college and her cousin. Singapore is too small for international corporations to survive if they focus on Singapore for business. Previously, Caucasian expats were employed for regional positions but now are replaced by locals. Which means a lot of travelling and less time for the family. However, children need money if they study overseas and a salaried employee working in Singapore mainly may not be able to afford overseas education for their children. I am always happy to see a busy father bringing the daughter and puppy to see the vet as the Singapore fathers are usually very busy and delegate the duty to the mother!

Webpage at:

798. Young Adults Face Intense Global Competition

Dubai - Jan 1, 2012 Winchester Hotel 12.08 am

Many young adults in a free world of abundance like Singapore, live in a virtual world of the smart phone texting and connecting with friends day to day. No responsibilities of adulthood and parenthood.

The years rush by. Time flies. Those young adults who acquire specialised relevant skills after graduation, works hard and is honest, get the good jobs globally as they are useful and indispensible to the employer.

Most of the old guards or senior citizens will never be able to compete in this global world for jobs needing more than a degree from the University and work experience. There is a need for specialised relevant technical experience in many high-paying jobs globally.

Many Singaporean young adults are blessed growing up in abundance in a Singapore, free of wars, natural disasters and crime from the 1950s - 2012 and are unprepared for the shocks of the real world. Many don't bother to learn how to read the financial statements but will punt or accept a friend's advice to invest in some schemes which appear to be Ponzi schemes. For example, buying a gold bar and paying for 20% below market price and getting regular returns above average. Sounds too good to be true and seems to me to be another version of Madoff's US$50 billion ponzi scheme on a small scale.

2012 appears to be another recession caused by the Euro crisis but how many young Singaporean adults can discuss in depth what is the Euro crisis and how it will impact their parents' livelihood, their own job prospects and their country's economy.

797. Travel Stories - Dresden and Berlin

As the hotels in Dresden and Berlin, Germany don't provide free internet access, I scribbled the following into my laptop and post it today at sunny hot Dubai Winchester Deluxe Hotel Apartment facing the GM on the receptionist table (only one plug here for laptop) at 10.45 am.

Overall, it had been quite a depressing tour - coldness, grey skies and the sadness of Auschwitz in Poland and the Berlin Wall in Germany. I prefer not to visit the "Killing Fields" of Cambodia, the "tunnels" of Vietnam as a person is expected to de-stress not to reflect on man's inhumanity. I had been to another Auschwitz some 40 years ago from London when I was much younger and one visit is enough. There are still atrocities and killings in some countries, even in this modern age and therefore I don't want to pay to see more historical killings.

MY SCRIBBLINGS
It is better to write drafts rather than perfect reports as I don't have much time and if I have to publish only "good English" reports of my work and travels, I will not be able to be productive and will produce 10% of what you read.
Dec 31, 2011 Hotel ABACUS Tierpark Hotel Berlin 4.48 am Singapore time 11.48am
No free wireless even in reception space. In Berlin, I believe that most shops do not provide free wireless, including McDonald's. At Starbucks, one has to go to the Starbucks page and click "connect". If not, no free wireless. It was not automatic. I believe McDonald's has same situation for one hour surfing but I could not get into it "Hotspot".
TWO TIPS. Temperature 4 degree C and lower at night
1. This hotel has steam heating radiators. Don't forget to turn the dial as some of them are switched off and you wake up in a cold room.
2. In one Czech hotel, the maid had not closed the window 100%.. As the curtains were closed, I could not understand at first why the room was cold when I woke up and the thermostat did not seem to function.

Yesterday Dec 30, 2011
Berlin Wall - Guide Yoko - Drizzling
Afternoon - Shop at De Ka Wa. LV still popular. Rarely see Chinese national tourists in Belin today but Caucasian salesgirl could speak Mandarin having been to China for study. Her own sling bag (company staff only, not for sale). .
Dinner - Ming Garden Chinese Restaurant. I slipped when my right foot turned as I stepped on a tapering step downstairs to the Ming Garden Restaurant. One in the group disputed that dinner was in the itinerary as the first night, we had no dinner. Finally, we got Ming Garden and Marcus told us his efforts. He handed us the feedback form during lunch at another Chinese Restaruant. Today Dec 31, 2011, at 5 am we would wake up and leave Berlin at 7 am to drive to the Hamburg airport. Marcus would fly back to Singapore (tiring) and we would be in Dubai for two nights (free? accommodation at hotel). Apparently, a 10-hour flight (stopover in Colombo) instead of a 7-hour flight back to Singapore via Emirates. SIA is more expensive and so Emirates with its "free" stay n Dubai had our business for this East European Tour. Global competition for SIA is increasing as for all Singapore companies. Best Chinese dinner was at Ming Garden. Sweet and sour soup, green veg, pork, tou foo with chilli sauce, fruits (grapefruits, pineapples, oranges, apples). It was quite packed. The operator has some ideas on variety and good cooking.

Be frank and proactive and ask for good grades if you want a good feedback from your customers as Marcus had done so. Also he had served his free tea and home-made chilli. He had been extremely hardworking and entertaining. Not an easy job to handle 18 Singaporeans. He is a free-lancer. I gave him a point "5".in the feedback form sealed in a blue envelope. "You can always steam the envelope and open it," I said to Marcus. "Your company would never know." He also used blue envelopes to give tips to the local guides at 2 euros per tourist. Apparently, local guides (probably Gulliver Travels) are paid 200 euros/hour and so they are employed for half a day only.
Not a Japanese car is seen in Berlin's "Orchard Road." More Mercedes. VW


Dec 29, 2011
Prague to Dresden - Guide Sylvia - great story teller, enthralled group more than other guides. Natural. Examples:
1. A stork statute. I could not take a photo fast enough as the bus drove too fast or I was too slow.
"Stocks carry babies," she asked how many of us knew this. Four hands went up. I knew it too. Sylvia said: "In one tour, a gentleman asked what gender the stocks were," she asked us. We didn't know. "The gentleman said the stock was male," Sylvia said. "Female stocks can't stop talking and talking and would have dropped the babies!" Sexist reply? Sylvia said: "I slapped him real hard on behalf of all women."

2. Audi. Sylvia said that Audi was originally named Horsch. "Nobody could pronounce Hor.." she said in a coughing voice. "I want to buy a Hor..Hor.Haw..Haw." Since it was difficult, the prospective buyer would say "Never mind, give me a Benz!". So the name was changed to Audi which is easy to pronounce.

3. "Be careful, there is a dangerous shop there. Don't let the women go in!" Sylvia said as we crossed the road to more monuments. I was wondering whether the shopkeeper was going to scam us. Some foreign exchange shops in Prague would display a good exchange rate and when you enter, the rates would be different and unfavourable. The group paid attention to a small lit jewellry shop called "Lights" or some similar sound. Sylvia said" "It is dangerous for the men's (wallets) as the women would buy all the things there."

4. One luxury VW car shown by her. I took a picture. 65% are produced and sold to China. VW was profitable in 2011. It has acquired other car brands too and Audi is one of them.

5. FEEDBACK AND COMPLAINTS. Sylvia knows how to address any potential complaints by humour. As Marcus handed over his usual blue envelope of tips to her, she pointed to a gold figure on top of a statue and said that it can hear all complaints about her and report to her as this figure is omnipresent. I doubt anyone would complain about her efforts and humour as you can see from one image I took where she captured the attention and evoked the smiles of 15/19 of the group with her pictures of the history and her condemnation of the politicians who tore down heritage buildings in the recent years. "What was not bombed had been torn down by the politicians," she said. "So Dresden looks very modern and new."

Singaporeans seem to be her group. "You may see me in Singapore if I go there,"she told us. She's an architect and had lived in various cities but lived longer in Dresden. When I asked about the horse carriage tours, she said not to take the tour as the guide will not give accurate tour info. A man and a boy was playing an instrument on the road side. "Gypsies from Romania," she told me. "European Union permits free travel for EU citizens." I asked when she said hello to a big man at a stall: "Is the man selling mineral stones a gypsy?" She said: "No."



An image of Sylvia is posted for readers. You can learn much from Sylvia in your working life.

"Be passionate in your work" by research and know how to present in an entertaining relevant manner. The customer can sense or at least smile when you lecture on the dull historical facts. For example, "Ladies will like this handsome king..." We remember her and her presentation in our images and mine and none of the historical kings of Prussia etc. We had a fun time.


You can see my tour manager Marcos also listening to her stories. I was taking pictures as there was no time and did not appear in the picture. Another couple and one other Singaporean were wandering off taking pictures. That is why there were 15/19.

An image of a tour dog. Another tour guide with Caucasian tourists. Asian and Singapore tourists seldom are interested in European history, kings and queens. More into shopping and more shopping. So, the European tour guide may need to entertain rather than inform because arts and culture is not part of the Asian culture compared to the general Europeans and Americans, in my opinion.

796. Travel Stories - First Impressions Count

7am Abacus tierpark hotel to Hamburg airport to Dubai.

WHAT MAKES THIS HOTEL SUCESSFUL AS A BUSINESS?

Abascus TierPark Hotel, Berlin, Away from downtown, Near Zoo. Has theme of animals e.g. dining table has a wooden elephant. Big framed close up of a cock, fish, fruits on walls.


1. First impressions of reception and dining room shows a well managed hotel.
2. Affordable to tour agencies. Top in travel tour gp revenue in Berlin? Least costly 4-star hotel for Gulliver and other travel agencies apparently.
Rates 99e single 120e double for walk in clustomers
3. Free car parking.
Free Independent Travellers around 30% estimated. Free car parking. Weekend v high occupancy tour gp (Europeans mainly).

4. Provides 8 lots for coach parking. Max 400 tourists if all 8 coaches come. Hotel has only 300 rooms and therefore occupancy rates can be 100%.
Hard to find free car park lots in Berlin and this is probably its selling point.

5. "A" introduced. ABACUS Tierpark Hotel. I noted that the neon sign shows only Tierpark. Therefore ABACUS must be a later addition to the name. "A" is top of phone listing advantage. Has a real abascus displayed at reception but hotel owner is not Chinese. "Abascus" is just for top listing

6. Robust revenue is dependent on buoyant tourist economy. Berlin's downtown and Brandenburg gate appeared to be full of Caucasian tourists in the time I was there. Long queue outside Madam Tussard Wax Museum.

7. Privately owned

OTHERS
No free internet access Around 50% of Berlin hotels do not provide free internet access
Zoo theme
bedroom 2 single beds slide towards each other to form a double bed. One of the beds creak and squeak. No maintenance check as the Winchester Hotel in Dubai has good beds, mattresses and two solid pillows. European hotels provide one thin pillow and soft mattresses in general or is it the quality of hotels selected by EU tours? What to expect for packaged tourists on a lean budget?
Mainly Netherland tourists for this hotel.

TIPS
1. Temp around 4 deg C. Can be quite cold inside the room

Steam heating in this hotel. Must check as the setting in room and bathroom. The setting may be zero and the room is cold. Setting no. 5 means a hot room.

Ensure windows are properly shut or cold air comes in.


Berlin has >1 million tourists a day according to desk manager and low unemployment rate of 7% (Dresden 17%).

NO English brochures for guest - Not interested in English-speaking or Asian groups as Europeans form main clientele
Free n lots car park spaces unlike Berlin's other hotels

795. Putting bare feet or legs onto the coffee table

When I was working for the Singapore Turf Club, there came an older Australian vet who was appointed the Chief Vet when the Club was taken over and renamed the Bukit Turf Club.

One day, we had a meeting with the young newly recruited management committee of the newly formed Bukit Turf Club to talk about the Veterinary Department. He asked us to sit down and he placed his legs onto the coffee table. The others felt uncomfotable and some commented about this unusual behaviour. Do all Australians do that? I don't know.

Is it good manners to sit around the sofa set and you, the Chief Vet put your boots and legs to rest on the coffee table? I don't do it and I don't want any of my employees to do it as I don't think it is becoming of a vet or the manager. Sometimes, the young people do it without realising that it is not good.

794. Travel Stories - Vet stories - A visit to a Prague vet

Dec 29, 2011 Hotel Duo wireless area near reception, 7.40 am 

Free wireless only at the reception area, not in rooms or even dining areas on 2nd level. The past days, my 5th floor room and another one had the smell of sewerage, as if there was a leak somewhere in the toilet. The smell disappeared later. 

From my experience in seeing the Sewerage truck coming to Toa Payoh outside my surgery to suck out the sewerage material, the smell was almost identical. This hotel is popular with Japanese and other Asians and boast gym, bowling ally, pool and casino and so is of a higher standard. I can't understand why there is this sewerage smell inside the bedroom on a 5th floor! Luckily, today Dec 29 morning, I would be leaving for Dresden, Germany. That odour was nauseating.

Yesterday, the others went to another shopping mall and then another one called Venezula Square with its boutiques from 10am to 6 pm. A free and easy day and so Marcus recommended this shopping as the group was not keen on another heritage castle visit some 3-hour drive away. I was tired of seeing castles, churches and shopping.

Fortunately for me, I went with Daniel to the Jest ski resort. He was skiing. Patches of snow below the hill, due to global warming. On driving to the top, there was a sudden blast of air or wind. Visibility was 1 metre in front. Temperature was below zero. Was this man-made machine whipping up artificial snow or was it nature? I went into the tower to hide.

The resort was not open fully. Only a small lane was open for skiers. Some bumpy areas. A snowboarder hit Daniel and broke his ski. It was not fun skiing in such an area. So, at 1.30 pm, after the ghoulash steak lunch, the guide Katrina drove us back to Prague. 

I asked to meet her boyfriend Dr Tomas Stastny who does voluntary cat welfare work 3 evenings a week. "His practice is a small one. Not those with lots of equipment," she said.

"It is not the practice that is full of modern equipment that I will want to see," I said. "It is to know more about how the vet works in Prague."

"There are only 5 vet surgeries in Prague," Katrina said. "It is very expensive to buy equipment to set up a practice. There are 180 vets. For 2 million people." Katrina worked with international tourist and so her conversational English is good. Daniel said: "She means that there are only 5 vet hospitals in Prague."

Her boyfriend's practice is in a farm area. The town centre with the church (see image), the big land of farms and the row of shop houses remind me of James Herriot's practice some 50 years ago. I studied in Glasgow Univ in 1969 and had visited Thirsk, a village mentioned in James Herriot's novels. 

Katrina and Tomas are fans of James Herriot too and his Yorkshire vet stories must have been translated to Czech. Tomas' practice is located in similar farmland countryside small village as you can see from some pictures. His 12-year-old son wants to be a journalist and he could write stories of the stray cats and patients of Tomas if this young man can be motivated to do so. 

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792. Travel Stories - Prague Castle and another Christmas Market Fair

Dec 28, 2011 Hotel Duo 7.50am Singapore time 2.59pm

Yesterday, another city tour, mainly Prague Castle and the churches. Christmas Market Fair and shopping in the afternoon. I am quite sick of this itinerary of shopping. But I had a chance to do street photography of the tourists. Only 3 are interesting to viewers and are as follows:

I like the "gray" colour theme of the distinguished gentleman with his gray poodle in similar stance and profile. His lady friend is also dressed in gray coat. There is a market square tower and when the clock chimes at the hour, the two windows open and some figures can be seen. A trumpeter will blow his trumpet! This seem to attract the crowd. A concert was shown for children too. Overall, this Christmas market fair is the most varied. Horse rides, concert, vintage car rides, hop on tours and lots of stalls. It seems that the food stalls do brisk business. The others are suffering.

791. Travel Stoires - Salt mines and Death camp Auschwitz I in Poland

Dec 27 2011 hotel duo Praque 3 nights 8.45am

Yesterday visited poland's salt mines n Auschwitz.

Hotel duo is busy but one male reception staff has poor service in telling me that there are 650 rooms n guests keep their laptops inside their rooms. Previous hotels permit me to accommodate my laptop with reception. Hotel Duo is near subway warm bathroom tiled floor. Surprisingly no free Internet access in rooms. Young adults congregate near reception to use their smart phones as free wi fi is only present in this small area

OBSERVATION. When a business is big and busy, service is bound to be poorer. Other hotels in Austria and Budagpest, before I came to Prague provide free wireless internet in the rooms for the smart phone and there is one desktop for free internet access.

In Hotel Duo, I have to pay for the desktop or use the free wireless only near the reception area. The staff was quite abrupt

OBSERVATION. PLAN B. After walking over 300 steps deep into the salt mine, we were told that we just needed to go back to the earth surface by the lift. The electrician was busy repairing the lifts. So, there was Plan B -the old lifts probably used by the miners. Small ones. The two doors could only open inwards and so it was fun. Emergencies do happen and Plans B and C must be in place, unlike the SMRT subway breakdown in Singapore recently. Obviously, no Plan B had been thought out and there was widespread panic.

PACKAGED TOUR'S HIDDEN COSTS
Told Marcus I do not want to pay n take 3 hours coach to the countryside to see another castle tomorrow free n easy. The ladies warmed to his new found big shopping mall to shop till they drop tomorrow.

I prefer to take a 50-min subway ride to ski resort tomorrow. Global warming may have no snow. I can't stand seeing more branded shops like Zara as I don't shop and it can be cold. Too much "free and easy" from this travel agency adds up to the hidden cost

Morning guided tour of castle church christmas market which has good ideas to make money. Vintage car rides horse n carriage children buy pellets to feed n pat goat sheep lamb kids donkey n miniature horse.
Sausage n food stalls v busy
2to5pm at this market sq then walk 30min to dinner place as coach not permitted into this area pollution

790. Travel Stories - Day 6 Kracow, Poland

Dec 26, 2011 Kracow Poland 1.56 am Singapore time 8.58 am

Spent whole day in Kracow, Poland.
Gregory, a M.A degree tour guide provided a morning city tour with lots of history about Kracow and the Jews being sent away by during World War Two. Some old houses had been kept for the owners by the Polish Government are unrenovated as no owners had come to claim them. In Summer, over 20,000 tourists but now, not many. 8 Jewish synagogues, empty chairs as monuments of the War seen. In Budapest, along the Danube River bank, I saw the metallic shoes representing those Jews shot and pushed into the river during World War Two. Castles and churches again. Then to Christmas Market. Lots of history given by this guide. "Short but can really walk fast," one Singapore lady told me as this man in his 30s would walk so fast that none of us could be near him whenever he had to proceed to another spot to gather us to explain the history. I had not thought of why short people can't be fast pacers.

After lunch at the same restaurant, I asked the guide that I would prefer not to stay another 3 hours in the chilly air of zero degree C at the Christmas market. 14 Singaporeans elected to go back to the fair and then being picked up at 5 pm for dinner at China Palace. "The reason we can't have dinner at Hotel Sympozium is that the guide and driver will not be given free dinners unlike at China Palace," Marcos the tour manager told us."I hope you understand. The other group from 5-star you saw having dinner there yesterday paid themselves."

I had offered to stay in the hotel in the afternoon and pay for my dinner in this hotel. I was sick of walking around closed shops and watching another Christmas market stalls again. It is like walking around Orchard Road with shops closed for 3 hours in freezing cold. "Why not pack fried rice back for us, like you did for the driver?" the wife of the management consultant said. This middle-aged couple also did not want more wandering. For me, I had something to do - street photography. Otherwise I would be most bored to death listening to history of Poland for 4 hours.

Krakow's Market Square is the focal point for all tourists. Horse-drawn carriages, vendors of sausages, flowers etc on this Christmas Day. Mostly tourists were seen, as locals would stay at home on Christmas Day. A pigeon-feeder was seen, likely to be a local senior citizen.

I had gone to a McDonald for a warm cup of coffee at around 11.30 am with the guide and Marcos. This McDonald was the only one open (by law, only 3-employee shops and self-owned shops are allowed to open on Christmas Day. Even Tesco supermarket that opens 24 hours was closed on Christmas Eve and Day). It had a metallic gold "M" logo outside the entrance. A famous 136-year-old hotel cafe was open too. A few hundred tourists, mainly Caucasians at the Christmas Market seen. One man juggled balls with his body to get paid in coins. Another man dressed like a Ghenkis Khan statue moved when coins are dropped into his bowl in front of him. Horse and carriage for tourists seen. More famous old churches and different styles of architecture but it seemed that none of us were interested in the details.

So, my afternoon was spent in the hotel to catch up with jet lag. In this tour, the group stayed 2 nights in the same hotel. So, less rushing and packing. The group also had 18 tourists unlike last December's tour of Western Europe when there were 40 tourists crammed in tight seats of the coach. So, nowadays, many of us could sit by ourselves as there were more seats available. Four couples would sit together - a newly wed and two senior citizens.

iPhone does not seem to work in Kracow's Hotel Symposium. A free internet access is for laptops. Got a phone line from the hotel to connect. The young men Dan and Jason knew how to create a "hotspot" via Internet Explorer in the laptop and used the laptop as a router for their iPhones. Still, at certain times, they could not access the internet while the laptop was OK. "There should be no reason for this failure to access the internet," Dan told me when I said that the hotel could be using software to prevent signals going to the iPhone from the laptop so as to secure payment for wireless use by iphones. "After all, the hotspot is inside your laptop and it is accessing the internet."

I was thinking of the Allies jamming the direction of aircraft missles by releasing some bright metallic things when missles are fired at the aircraft. So, iphones could be jammed intermittently.

Now it is 2.29 am. I tapped my iphone 4 for access to www.asiaone.com.sg which I could read about the Singaporean couple being mugged in JB and the Orchard Road flooding. The "Cannot Open Page. Data Roaming is turned off" appeared on the screen. Why can't the iphone access the hotspot which was created again by the young men? I would not know. Something to do with iphone 4's technical aspects I would think. At night, I don't want to go out to Tesco even if it is opened just in case 5 men appeared suddenly to mug me, as happened to the Singaporean couple in JB. The world has become much less safe nowadays with many people preferring to rob rather than to work and the police being under-staffed while the politicians of democratic countries try to govern the country by giving goodies to the citizens to win their votes.

Enough of kings and queens, churchs, shopping malls for branded goods and Christmas Markets in Vienna, Budapest and Kracow and the cold winter air. I did not have runny nose today unlike in Budapest's Christmas Market yesterday. Why no cold air rhinitis? I do not know.

I will be visiting the salt mines today. Got to get up at 6 am and have breakfast at 6.30 am.