Push and shove, push and shove

When traveling I so enjoy the cornucopia of cultural delights. Read on for two such experiences.

See photo. This is the painting that was above the bed in my hotel room in South Korea. Look closely at the mat in front of the tubular pen thing (chicken coop I presume). Notice how the chickens are staring at the mat. The chickens look curious and maybe a little worried to me. What is that red stuff on the mat? From my vantage point standing on the bed for closer inspection it looked like butchered chicken parts. Poor chickens, no wonder they are looking onto what appears to be a horror scene with such pensive glances. Okay, maybe I’m reading a bit too much into it; nonetheless, if it is a murder scene why would you put it over a bed in a hotel room? Sweet dreams!

So my trip so far has gone without a hitch. I remark on that because it is an uncommon occurrence for me to go on a trip without some major weather delay- lost luggage-plane mechanical problem-misplaced item-air sickness-major miscommunication-forgotten toothbrush- annoying person sitting next to me on long plane ride-busted luggage zipper-diplomatic intervention warranted kind of mishap. Well, that is if you don’t account for all the pushing and shoving that took place while boarding and un-boarding flight # 627 going from Seoul, South Korea headed for Jakarta, Indonesia. Along with me there were about 200 Indonesian Tupperware ladies. Yes there were assigned seats, yes we were supposed to board by zones in some kind of orderly fashion; however, you would have thought they were handing out door prizes to the first 50 people to get on board the plane. Nothing else could explain such a lunging, shove-the-kids-aside, leap-over grandma stampede as soon as the Korean Air personnel stated that those with tickets marked for zone 1 could start boarding the plane. For someone coming from a culture where people are taught to wait their turn at an early age, to never push, the spectacle of watching the particular travelers getting on and off this plane was a jarring, breath-taking sight to behold. Be warned, an Indonesian 4’ older women carrying a Tupperware duffel bag will not think twice of ramming an elbow into your rib cage when boarding a plane.