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“The postings on this site are my own and don't represent Maersk Group's position, strategies or opinions. All views are my own”
  M/T Maersk Cassandra
I got this picture from clydesights.com   Wednesday 7th of December 2011 and I manage to get f@ck all sleep during my flight. What a  stupid departure time, quarter past midnight. 4 hours 50 minutes flight and we would arrive 5 o'clock in the morning Thai time. And no sleep so it is easy to imagine how tired I was after 24 hours on the run.
And I will have to wait for almost 6 hours in Seoul before my next flight, the Korean Air's flight KE 1609. They brought us breakfast and they asked what I wanted. - Chicken or omelette. - Is there mushrooms in the omelette? She checked one of the trays and she showed me the food. No mushrooms and I took the omelette.  Approaching Seoul Incheon International Airport  Approaching Incheon International Airport  Arriving to Seoul Incheon International Airport  Arriving to Seoul Incheon International Airport  Arriving to Seoul Incheon International Airport They came with the immigration cars after the breakfast and I asked for a pen. The Thai Stewardess told me that the passenger in the next row had borrowed the pen. - I will give it to you as soon as he is ready. Korean immigration form, must be the simplest form in the world. But the guy with the pen didn't  found it easy, he went on and on while I was jumping up and down in my seat.
- How hard can it be? Obviously the Thai stewardess wondering the same. - Haven't you got the pen yet? She went over to help the guy so we could finish the formalities. I passed the immigration and Custom and when I left the arriving area there was a guy with a sign. My name and the ships name and the Agent were here to pick me up, and I was surprised to see him. - What is going on? Why are you here to pick me up? - I will take you to the domestic airport. - Isn't it the same? I can go by train. I asked the Agent to wait for a minute while I was going to check out 7 Eleven, a beacon of  civilisation all over the world. Do they have Diet MAX? I went to check it out, but no Diet MAX!  They had Pepsi Nex, I had never seen them before.
And it was not Pepsi NEXT, it was NEX. Didn't tasted as good as I remember Diet MAX. But it was OK. We went to the parking to get our Agent's car and we were soon on the way to the domestic airport in Seoul. As I mentioned, I was surprised to see the Agent in Seoul, I hadn't expected to see any Agent until arrival to Ulsan. But I  was glad that he was here when I discovered how far away the Domestic Airport was, almost all the way to Seoul.
I had 5 hours to kill, or almost 6 so I was in no hurry to any place. It was around 9 o'clock when we arrived to Gimpo Airport, the old Seoul airport before they build the new Incheon airport. The driver helped me with my luggage and we went to Korea Air's check-in desk. The airport looked pretty busy but there was only 2 girls working at Korea Air's desk, but they were efficient and we were soon ready with the check-in.  I said good bye to the driver and I went to look for a Diet MAX. They told me that there wasn't any 7 Eleven at Gimpo, but there was a convenient store on the ground floor. - Thanks I went down and I found a Family Mart but no Diet MAX and I asked the girl. They only had Coca Cola Zero so I bought blueberry yoghurt instead. Luckily enough it is very easy to pay with VISA  card everywhere so I could pay for my drinks. I took my drinks and I left to the 2nd floor.
Gimpo airport reminded me about East Germany, here wasn't anything exciting and it looked very old. There   was a smoke room and I had a cancer stick while finishing my two yoghurts and then I went to the departure hall on the 3rd floor.
And the departure hall will  hopefully be more exciting than the check-in hall. As I mentioned before, the whole airport reminded me of Eastern Europe back in the days. For sure, nothing I have missed.
  I passed the security check and I went to look for a restaurant and I was disappointed, they only  had the SNAP SNACK at the airport. And there were 4 of them and the menu left a lot to wish for. But there was something that looked like orange juice.
- Is that orange juice? - ??????? - Orange? Orange Juice? - Yes, orange. DARN! The orange juice turned out to be some vitamin water and I could not finish the bottle. There were 4 SNAP SNACK on the airport, but only 2 of them had power sockets for my computer. One power socket at each place, but the seats were occupied and I  walked back a forth between the 2 SNAP SNACKS waiting for the tables at the power sockets should be available.
The driver told me that there were free WIFI in the departure hall, but where ever I asked about the internet they said that there wasn't any internet. But I decided to give it one more try and to ask one more time and at this desk they told me that there was internet and I got the password. And Lo and behold, now they place next to the power socket was available at one of the  SNAP SNACKS. I had a few sips on my vitamin water while updating my web page. I also had a cup of tea and 2 waffles and I turned off my computer at 1 o'clock.
There was 4 SNAP SNACKS and a Family Mart in the departure hall and I went to see if they had Diet MAX when I had packed my laptop. No Diet MAX so I bought two bottles of yoghurt and I went to the smoke room. DARN! This was a boring airport, luckily enough they had internet so I could kill a few hours. But now I was waiting for boarding at Gate 6 and I was carrying around my lap top in my bag.  Aladdin's adventure at Gimpo departure hall in Seoul
 Airplanes at Gimpo Domestic Terminal
 Airplanes at Gimpo Domestic Terminal
Time was very slow and I felt asleep at the gates 2 times. Luckily enough I woke up in time for my flight. What a stupid departure time from Bangkok and then waiting for 5 hours in Korea. It would  have been better to fly to Europe. I would have had a sleeping pill and I would have slept for a few hours. Now I had not had any sleep for more than 24 hours and I was tired.
And I was not happy when I discovered that we had to take a bus to Korean Air's flight KE 1609 to Ulsan. The flight was full, but I had an aisle seat and I managed to catch 25 minutes of sleep. Obviously because there was a sticker on the seat in front of me when I woke up. And I was obviously not the only one that had felt a sleep. The guys next to me had a  sticker in front of them as well.
We arrived to Ulsan and I could not see anyone with a sign waiting for me. I went out and there was a guy limping towards me asking if I was something that sounded Russian. - No Then he asked again and I thought I heard something that sounded like Maersk Cassandra. - Maersk Cassandra, yes that's me. This was a really annoying guy, he  spoke poor English and he asked me a lot of question about ear rings and how old I was. I asked about the ship and, well, we see. But we're going to a hotel and he started to call some hotels.
- All hotel full. I instantly remembered Panama when our 1st Engineer and I were going around Panama City looking for a hotel with the Agent in the middle of the night. And I just arrived after a long journey from Bangkok. And this was nothing I wanted to experience again. - You know that I was coming, so why haven't you booked a hotel? After some calling around he told me that he had found a hotel and we took off. 
 Our Pump man is arriving from The Philippines tonight and they will pick us up at the hotel at 8 thirty tomorrow morning. I asked the driver if the ship was early. According to my information she will wait on the anchorage until tomorrow evening. But thing can change, but I was really confused when the driver told me that the ship would go alongside tonight. Well, I didn't bother asking anymore questions. We will have to see tomorrow. I had a shower before I went down to the restaurant. I asked if they had any Diet MAX in the reception. - No - Is there any 7 Eleven nearby? They told me that there was a convenient store nearby and I went to check it out while I was waiting for my food. They will hopefully have Diet MAX
 The area around my hotel
 The area around my hotel
 The convenient store close to my hotel
 Autumn in Korea
They didn't had any Diet MAX what I could see and I asked the girl at the cash machine. But she didn't understand English and I left. My tea and smoke salmon was ready when I came back to my  hotel restaurant. And the tea was a disappointment.
When I ordered the tea they showed me the tea, Earl Grey tea and I was turning cartwheels around the restaurant while screaming YIIPPPEEE! I think they have used too much tea leaves and I could hardly drink the tea. But the smoked salmon was good. They brought the bacon & potato soup when I finished my smoked salmon. The soup was nothing like the baked potato soup at Tony Roma's. My main course was excellent, a plate of assorted German sausages with a honey mustard. It was excellent and I asked where they had bought the honey mustard. - The Chef makes the honey mustard himself. A very good dinner, the only disappointment was the tea and soup. OK, the soup was good, but I had Tony Roma's baked potato soup in mind. Well, anyway, I walked down to Hyundai department store to see if they had any Diet MAX.  On my way to Hyundai Department Store
 Christmas decorations in Ulsan
 Hyundai department store, looks pretty much like some building in the Eastern Europe
 Hyundai department store after dark
 My hotel “Hotel Good Morning” from Hyundai department store
 Building something in Ulsan
 My hotel “Hotel Good Morning”
 A road in Ulsan
When I was in Seoul back in 2009 I was surprised to see all the beautiful girls. Beautiful girls in Korea??!! I could not believe my eyes. I had been in Pusan and Ulsan before and the girls, well, I saw one beautiful girl. But I don't know if they have a law here in Korea, all beautiful girls must  move to Seoul. I only saw, maybe 2 beautiful girls in Ulsan on my way to the department store and back. But they had Pepsi NEX at Hyundai department store and I bought 2 bottles before walking back.
Ulsan id really a Hyundai city, I think the 7th biggest city in Korea. As my driver said: - Everything is Hyundai in Ulsan. Ship yard, a very big car factory, Hyundai hotel, Hyundai department store, Hyundai apartments and almost every car you see on the street is a Hyundai car. Well, I went to my room whit my 2 bottles of soda and I finished updating my web page before I went to bed. I ordered a wakeup call for 7 o'clock tomorrow morning and I need sleep.  - Hmm, maybe one more plate of German sausages and honey mustard before going to bed?
Well, anyway, we do as we use to do and you can make your choose of month below. Just to click the link. December 2011 December 2011 Part 2 January 2012 January 2012 - Part 2 February 2012 February 2012 - Part 2 March 2012 Aladdin's adventure in Singapore We did the following voyages before I signed off on the 15th of March 2012 in Singapore:
May 2012 - Maersk Cassandra SOLD!
17th of May 2012 and I get an e-mail from my friend "Just seen that Cassandra has been  sold to the Greeks for 10 million USD" and I have heard nothing about Maersk Cassandra being sold.
Next time I hear anything is from the Captain trying to get me to join Maersk Claudia in June 2012 with him. He had requested me at Maersk and when I was in China May 2012 I got the crew planning from Maersk tankers. I was scheduled to join Maersk Claudia in June 2012. But when I check internet about information about Maersk Cassandra I discover that Maersk Claudia is sold as well. Well, we will see what happens, but I will not join Maersk Cassandra again. All Maersk crew signed off end of May 2012  OK, it has come to my knowledge that we have senior citizens visiting my web page. How hard can it  be? So it's not very easy for them to see the blue coloured links to the next page.
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 E ni Svenskar och inte förstår Engelska så ska ni skämmas. J och Björn, med det menar jag inte att alla mina stavfel ska ältas varje gång vi träffas.
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