Last day amd flight from Chile
Friday, September 8th [cont] - shortly after where the previous entry left off i went to go have another extremely lackluster lunch in the dining area. On the way i ran into my friend, a Chilean beekeeper and phd student named Isadora whom I'd met the other day, and she was headed to lunch offsite! I gladly went with her. We proceeded about two blocks to a cluster of restaurants. I have found without exception the staff of restaurants here have been really friendly. Isadora was translating things on the menu for me and i decided to order aji gallana (or something like that) even though she couldn't translate aji. It just sounded good. It turned out to be shredded chicken in a yellow sauce. For a drink i ordered traditional lemonade, and she ordered lemonade with mint, and after the order had already been placed she mentioned in conversation that they often make lemonade with ginger and i longed for it but it was too late. But regardless my food amd lemonade were deliciouso.
Then we both went to the expo, I was going to buy a thick very thorough scientific book about honey from the GIZ booth (the very people who sent me to Ghana) but they'd already abandoned the booth. Then i knocked off another thing on my to-do list and made a video tour of the expo which came out to seven minutes even in a mad rush. The idea wag to insert it into a talk about the conference but I'll have to find someone with video editing skill and see if they can somehow edit it down because i think seven minutes is too much for that purpose. Talked to a very friendly Irishman who seems very pleased to introduce me to people as a fellow Irishman and is generally good craic and he mentioned being a voting delegate, so i started in about how he should vote for Tanzania, but he said his vote was already mandated from the home office and he wouldn't reveal who it was for, which seemed ominous. But the nearby Frenchman amd Aussie seemed enthusiastic for Tanzania over Dubai at least.
And then we headed back in and caught some talks about various honeybee pests. Since she wanted translation headphones for the English speakers and i needed them for the Spanish speakers we found me could just trade the same set. (And btw if you're getting scandalous ideas that we were having a romance i assure you i gushed about Cristina through half of lunch)
Then it was time for closing ceremonies! We ran into our friend Nico just outside the hall, a cheerful fellow I've hung out with a bit here. So we three sat together at closing ceremonies. It kills me to say cheesy things like this but sitting with these two friends whom i hadn't known before the conference was really like yes this is what it's all about.
So of course there were a bunch of speeches. I noted in the list of new and cancelled memberships that Russia has "withdrawn" membership if the world beekeeping congress. Tanzania and Dubai both had two minutes to make their case, the Tanzanians presented a well produced two minute promotional video, the Dubaians just had a Dubaian woman make a speech about how great it would be for Apimondia. It really felt like they weren't even trying, but was that because they'd already bought the votes??
then the voting delegates voted but the results would be counted and announced at the end. There was a performance by a musical group of Chilean traditional and classic music, some more speeches and... just when i felt we were moments away from the announcement of who won to host in 2027 i started getting whatsapp messages from the staffmember that i left my luggage with that he needed to leave and i needed to come get my luggage.
So very regretfully i gathered my things and exited the hall. Found the guy with my luggage actually gave him 20,000 pesos because i was feeling like i had to get rid of it and he'd seemed very helpful. Rushed back in with my luggage. We were fortunately by an aisle so i left it just beside Nico in the aisle.
Amd then.. it was time for the big announcement! The Apimondia president came out, saying he hadn't even looked at the card they'd handed him yet. Anddd the winner, by a vote of 65 to 39 is...
TANZANIA!!!! Wooooo! I'd hardly dared hope! I'm gonna take Cristina on a safari amd to the baby elephant orphanage amd the giraffe rescue and... (-:
Amd closing ceremonies were over. We got up, i thought about saying goodbye to Nico lest i lose track of him in the crush but i lost track of him in the crush.
Since it had often taken half an hour to get a ride i opened didi (specifically, not uber, so i could get rid of some more cash) thinking I could have it looking for a ride while i said goodbye to people. But a minute later it had a ride for me coming in four minutes. I suppose i could have cancelled but well i had a ride might as well take it. Quick goodbye with Isadora, ran into the Irishman again on the way out which was another riot of Irish in jokes amd scampered to the road amd leapt into my didi car which by then was on a final countdown for how long it would wait for me amd only about 30 seconds left. Pulled away feeling regretful that I'd had to make such a quick getaway.
During check in found out i needed to apply online for a transit visa for new Zealand, but two airline check in employees carefully walked me through it. I swear anyone in service or hospitality jobs here is so friendly and helpful. I would've expect any of this in Australia ("nah mate I'm on smoko" sums up the classic attitude towards helpfulness).
Stopped in at a restaurant inside security just to have a lemonade with ginger, delicious!
At the gate encountered a Chinese young lady I'd talked to at one of the equipment stands in the expo. She and her boss will take this same 14 hour flight to Auckland, be there basically a day (from 5am to midnight) amd then another 14 hours to China!
Just now just boarded the plane. Still at the gate. Can't upload though as already don't have internet!
For some reason neither my phone nor battery will charge from the seatback USB chargers on any flight I've been on, so now I've exhausted the external battery and the 36% on my phone is non renewable for the foreseeable future.
Mad tight transfer in Auckland. I let some hysterically panicked passengers cut past me in the security line only to find later they were on my flight. The security checkpoint in the middle of the international transfer was quite the traffic jam, i think most people were only getting to the front when they triaged amd called their flight to the front of the line.
Was going to post this in Auckland but the transfer was so hurried i didn't even get a moment to use the loo. Yes i can hold it the entire 14 hours of a normal longest haul flight (i am like a reverse camel 🤪) but now I'm fit to bursting and back on a plane! Flight is very empty but i definitely have someone on my aisle row, i do so hate to be a bother and displace someone to go to the heads.
But miracle of miracle my battery does seem to charge off the USB here!
Update: can still get airport wifi here on the plane at the gate, posted from Auckland!
Then we both went to the expo, I was going to buy a thick very thorough scientific book about honey from the GIZ booth (the very people who sent me to Ghana) but they'd already abandoned the booth. Then i knocked off another thing on my to-do list and made a video tour of the expo which came out to seven minutes even in a mad rush. The idea wag to insert it into a talk about the conference but I'll have to find someone with video editing skill and see if they can somehow edit it down because i think seven minutes is too much for that purpose. Talked to a very friendly Irishman who seems very pleased to introduce me to people as a fellow Irishman and is generally good craic and he mentioned being a voting delegate, so i started in about how he should vote for Tanzania, but he said his vote was already mandated from the home office and he wouldn't reveal who it was for, which seemed ominous. But the nearby Frenchman amd Aussie seemed enthusiastic for Tanzania over Dubai at least.
And then we headed back in and caught some talks about various honeybee pests. Since she wanted translation headphones for the English speakers and i needed them for the Spanish speakers we found me could just trade the same set. (And btw if you're getting scandalous ideas that we were having a romance i assure you i gushed about Cristina through half of lunch)
Then it was time for closing ceremonies! We ran into our friend Nico just outside the hall, a cheerful fellow I've hung out with a bit here. So we three sat together at closing ceremonies. It kills me to say cheesy things like this but sitting with these two friends whom i hadn't known before the conference was really like yes this is what it's all about.
So of course there were a bunch of speeches. I noted in the list of new and cancelled memberships that Russia has "withdrawn" membership if the world beekeeping congress. Tanzania and Dubai both had two minutes to make their case, the Tanzanians presented a well produced two minute promotional video, the Dubaians just had a Dubaian woman make a speech about how great it would be for Apimondia. It really felt like they weren't even trying, but was that because they'd already bought the votes??
then the voting delegates voted but the results would be counted and announced at the end. There was a performance by a musical group of Chilean traditional and classic music, some more speeches and... just when i felt we were moments away from the announcement of who won to host in 2027 i started getting whatsapp messages from the staffmember that i left my luggage with that he needed to leave and i needed to come get my luggage.
So very regretfully i gathered my things and exited the hall. Found the guy with my luggage actually gave him 20,000 pesos because i was feeling like i had to get rid of it and he'd seemed very helpful. Rushed back in with my luggage. We were fortunately by an aisle so i left it just beside Nico in the aisle.
Amd then.. it was time for the big announcement! The Apimondia president came out, saying he hadn't even looked at the card they'd handed him yet. Anddd the winner, by a vote of 65 to 39 is...
TANZANIA!!!! Wooooo! I'd hardly dared hope! I'm gonna take Cristina on a safari amd to the baby elephant orphanage amd the giraffe rescue and... (-:
Amd closing ceremonies were over. We got up, i thought about saying goodbye to Nico lest i lose track of him in the crush but i lost track of him in the crush.
Since it had often taken half an hour to get a ride i opened didi (specifically, not uber, so i could get rid of some more cash) thinking I could have it looking for a ride while i said goodbye to people. But a minute later it had a ride for me coming in four minutes. I suppose i could have cancelled but well i had a ride might as well take it. Quick goodbye with Isadora, ran into the Irishman again on the way out which was another riot of Irish in jokes amd scampered to the road amd leapt into my didi car which by then was on a final countdown for how long it would wait for me amd only about 30 seconds left. Pulled away feeling regretful that I'd had to make such a quick getaway.
During check in found out i needed to apply online for a transit visa for new Zealand, but two airline check in employees carefully walked me through it. I swear anyone in service or hospitality jobs here is so friendly and helpful. I would've expect any of this in Australia ("nah mate I'm on smoko" sums up the classic attitude towards helpfulness).
Stopped in at a restaurant inside security just to have a lemonade with ginger, delicious!
At the gate encountered a Chinese young lady I'd talked to at one of the equipment stands in the expo. She and her boss will take this same 14 hour flight to Auckland, be there basically a day (from 5am to midnight) amd then another 14 hours to China!
Just now just boarded the plane. Still at the gate. Can't upload though as already don't have internet!
For some reason neither my phone nor battery will charge from the seatback USB chargers on any flight I've been on, so now I've exhausted the external battery and the 36% on my phone is non renewable for the foreseeable future.
Mad tight transfer in Auckland. I let some hysterically panicked passengers cut past me in the security line only to find later they were on my flight. The security checkpoint in the middle of the international transfer was quite the traffic jam, i think most people were only getting to the front when they triaged amd called their flight to the front of the line.
Was going to post this in Auckland but the transfer was so hurried i didn't even get a moment to use the loo. Yes i can hold it the entire 14 hours of a normal longest haul flight (i am like a reverse camel 🤪) but now I'm fit to bursting and back on a plane! Flight is very empty but i definitely have someone on my aisle row, i do so hate to be a bother and displace someone to go to the heads.
But miracle of miracle my battery does seem to charge off the USB here!
Update: can still get airport wifi here on the plane at the gate, posted from Auckland!