February 1998.As the world sits on the very edge of firey nuclear destruction, your humble author arrives at Seoul’s Kimpo Airport for a bit of hush-hush work for some American friends.
Suffering from the explosive squits of the type I only ever experience on long-distance air travel, I stagger out of the gents’ in the arrival hall to see the excited face of my travelling companion and excellent colleague, Very Tall Dave.
"You’ll never guess who I’ve just seen" he says, and without pausing for my answer: "Michael Jackson."
"He’s probably here for the inauguration," I say, searching my hand luggage for my passport.
"Wouldn’t it - heh - be funny if he’s got the same hotel as us."
If we had LOL back then, I might have LOLed. Out loud.
And - one very mental taxi ride later (for we were on expenses to be met by American friends) through streets bedecked by flags celebrating the election of the new President Kim Dae Jung - we arrived at the hugely luxurious yet strangely deserted Westin Chosun Hotel.
We marched into reception, two English scruffs in a world of South Korean decadence in the face of Northern worker-soldier Juche self-determination.
"We’ve got a reservation. Duck and Very Tall Dave"
"We are sorry, sir" said the receptionist, "We cannot accommodate you. Err… Presidential orders."
"Wait… WHAT?"
"Michael Jackson is here. President Kim has given him the whole hotel."
"So, what are we to do?" asked Very Tall Dave, whose fault this was entirely, our plans for the best hotel jazz money can buy already evaporating, "Sleep on the streets?"
"Ha ha! No! We have found you a new hotel. Very good. Cheaper."
So we waved the Chosun goodbye, and headed for the dubious delights of The Hotel Manhattan, vowing revenge.
Cheaper, yes. Also crapper, the wrong side of a city populated by the worst taxi drivers known to man; only one named meat on the restaurant menu; a bathroom that flooded whenever you flushed the toilet; and they fuzzed out the fuzzy bits on the hotel porn. We vowed further revenge.
Oh yes. We would bide our time, but revenge would come.
June 2009: Michael Jackson dies in mysterious circumstances
August 2009: Kim Dae Jung dies in mysterious circumstances
COINCIDENCE?*
* Yes
15 comments:
Never trust a 'Dave' to do any form of travel arrangements, hotel bookings - whatever. Q's climbing friend, Due North Dave booked the flights to Uganda (or somewhere) - via Jeddah. They arrived in Jeddah at 4am, fully dressed in climbing gear to save on luggage - and you may remember the rest from my book.
But I don't actually think that you read it.
Also - meals in Korea. Yet another meaning for the words 'dogging' and 'doggy style'.
Turd.
But does anybody know a nice hotel in Weymouth?
Debster: Yes. Yes I do.
Baron Basil Fawlty's establishment.
So is this mirth and woe? Because its not labelled that its not.
There was mirth, a little woe. But no rich, brown sick. And no hedges.
I'm confused. Please to have labels so I can organise my life.
Debster - is that 'nice' or "nice"?
You could check out:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Weymouth,_Tasmania
But personally, it's a bit far to come just for a weekend, even if it is a DW.
Would also have been a coincidence if someone had planted a bomb on Abdelbaset Ali al-Megrahi's plane.
Is Michael Jackson dead then?
Surely it would have been on the news if he'd died, no?
I was thinking more of Weymouth near the Duck.
From 1998 until 2009? You took your time, didn't you? And what have you done with Very Tall Dave?
Erin - is slightly less tall nowadays.
Has it already been more than 2 months since Wacko Jacko kicked the bucket?
Considering the continuing media coverage, you'd think it was just yesterday...
NEWS FLASH: Natalee Holloway Still Missing in Aruba.
Pseudonymph - makes sense to me.
Sewmouse - haven't seen much on her up here lately, but has there been much progress??
Some curses take longer than others, especially when international hotel revenge is involved.
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