Life: How to avoid jet lag
So several people have asked me to post about this since they wanted to know what I always call the jet lag secret. As a matter of fact I barely experience jet lag since I take several precautions when traveling through different time zones. A recent trip to China has proven to me that it works quite nicely. To clear up any confusions I want to say that it is probably not really possible to feel nothing at all but how I do things brings me quite close to it.
My assumptions:
- The mind is stronger than the body. If you can control your thoughts then you can control your body.
- Jet lag is 90% mind games.
- You are in charge of yourself.
- You are sitting relatively comfortable in your seat (remember John Wayne: no whining).
- You don’t hate flying.
So here are some recommendations:
- As soon as you sit in the plane set your clock to the time of the destination. Do this preferably before push-back so you can spend the time taxing to the runway staring at the new time and internalize it. This means that you tell yourself over and over what the new time is. This might creep the person next to you out but it will help you focus on what comes next.
- Once you have “understood” the new time act accordingly. If it is in the afternoon then the meal they are about to serve will be you dinner. Tell yourself that it is dinner and that you are going to sleep afterwards. A glass of wine might do the trick to get you in the right sleeping mood. (Drink responsibly – alcohol up there is much worse than on the ground). Plus, don’t forget to drink as much water as possible.
- Only sleep on eastbound travels. If you are flying against the sun (e.g. Europe to Asia or US to Europe) try to get as much sleep on the plane as possible. Buy a very comfy sleeping mask and good earplugs. Trying to fall asleep at least for a short time is very important for your body as it will make it easier to fight through the next day. Even if you only fall asleep for a very short time this will help you tremendously. The more you sleep on eastbound flights the better you will be able to perform in the next 2 days. If you are up for it you should get a business class or first class ticket.
- On westbound travels you should try to stay up throughout the whole flight. Keep yourself busy with movies, magazines, books, and whatever you can get your hands on. Going back in the galley to start a conversation with someone might also help to kill time. This has been more than interesting for me as the people you meet have great stories to tell. Flight attendants are also up for a nice talk as usually their job is rather uncommunicative. When you touch down stay up as late as you usually would. The last couple of hours are usually quite intense but very necessary to help you adjust as quickly as possible
- As soon as you arrive at your final destination start eating the next meal (e.g. if you arrive around morning hours eat breakfast). This is one of the most important points. The convince your body of the new time (you have looked at the watch a couple of more times) you have to give it something to work with. In this case its food and lots of water. Even if you don’t feel like eating at all bypass that feeling and chow down some food.
- Mentioned above is one more very, very, very, important point: drink lots and lots of water. Sitting in a plane for a long time will drain your body of any water in it and to make sure you feel well drink as much as you can.
- This might sound weird but as soon as you arrive at home or the hotel take a shower. This will not only make you feel better but will signal your body that its clean and ready now (this might be for going to bed or starting the day).
- In the coming days try to have the same routine as always. This means: regular meals, sleeping times as always, and lots of water. Also, try to look at any watch as often as possible.
I hope these small recommendations will help you on your next journey. Let me know if you have some additions or feedback.
read moreLife: Beijing's Starbucks, Malls, Real Estate, Kempinski, and Breast Enhancements
Having spent about a week in Beijing now I have come to like this city a lot. A thing that I have become increasingly aware of is that wherever I go it always feels good to have things that remind you of home or the things that you enjoy at home.
I am a huge coffee-lover and I enjoy my espresso wherever I can. I am not necessarily a huge fan of the chain but I want to thank Starbucks for “conquering” this country with its stores. Whether to fight jet lag or just to give you this boost in the morning Starbucks has never let me down. The quality is good and the complementary Wi-Fi lets me stay in touch with the world. It feels like walking into the Embassy…
Beijing Shopping Malls
Looking at all the other stores here I can also understand how Starbucks could grow this quickly here in China. Walking into an average upscale mall in Beijing will mostly yield the same result; You will be able to find anything from super upscale like Hermes, Burberry, Gucci, Prada, to more mainstream things like H&M, Jack Jones, Zara, etc. Interestingly the domestic brands seem to strongly orient themselves on the “Western” brands but without looking like cheap imitations. There are some very interesting clothing stores that are (apparently) Chinese but could actually also work in Europe. The “new” Chinese consumer seems to enjoy spending his money on these consumer products. Another indicator is the sheer size of the cosmetics departments in malls.
Housing and Construction
The developments here in Beijing reminded me of the things I saw in Brazil in 2008. I bet a lot has changed there as well since then. In Brazil it seemed that the first money people made went to consumer products, plastic surgery, cars, and apartments. 30-year-old women wearing braces was nothing rare or looked down upon. Pretty much all advertisement on TV was about cars, and most billboards in town were advertising newly built apartment complexes. The same can be found here. There are new apartment complexes everywhere and each and everyone is out doing themselves with the formulations of how great and life changing this building is going to be. These are some pictures from one of the new properties nearby.
I am wondering why they cut the words off like this? Is it to grab attention because its off or is it because someone thought you can just do it this way?
The Breasts (and eyes, and lips, and face, and teeth, and, and, and)
A proof for the fact that more and more people are coming into money is advertisement for enhancing surgery. Riding in a cab I found this wonderful ad for breast surgery. I find it very funny how nicely they put things in these ads.
Beijing Kempinski Lufthansa Center
On a different note I can only recommend a visit or stay in the Kempinsiki Hotel Beijing Lufthansa Center. It is simply a great spot for chilling out, recharging your batteries, getting great Illy coffee, and stable internet. The hotel is said to be one of the best in town and simply by walking in any doubts about this should be wiped away. In addition if you feel like having any German sausage, cheese, or bread the Kempi Deli will fulfill any of your culinary wishes. The deli serves anything German and I simply another great “Embassy” in a culinary sense. Apparently the place is also well received by the more affluent locals as the place was packed with Chinese people enjoying a Laugenbrezel with Kochschinken. Overall the place is fantastically decorated and now for Chinese New Year they have put up this enormous tree.
If you are planning to go to the Great Wall the Kempinski also has a fantastic resort called the “Commune by the Great Wall”. If you have a couple of minutes on your hand you should check out the website. The Resort is also featured in pretty much every guide.
Life: Beijing's Beihai Park, Lonely Planet App, Cars
Yesterday we paid a visit to BeiHai Park located not far from the Forbidden city and Tiananmen Square. On our drive there we could see a lot of police cars (including some SWAT guys) standing around. This is nothing out of the ordinary but the number seemed higher than usual. On the way back we some official cars racing though rush hour. I guess some important person was on the move throughout that day.
Beihai Park is really a refuge in this super busy town. The entrance fee of just 15 Yuan (1.5 Euro) is absolutely worth it. You get access to the entire park, which is built around a huge lake, and all temples on park property. Since it was freezing cold in the past months the lake was still frozen completely. In summer time I was told the lake is filled with Lotus flowers and I can imagine how relaxing a walk must be there in summer.
Lonely Planet iPhone App Beijing
On this trip I used on of the Lonely Planet iPhone apps for the first time and due to the steep app price of 12.99 Euros my expectations were incredibly high. So far I can say that I am very happy with it and it has been giving me exactly the information I was looking for when I needed it.
The content seems to be the same as the print version. The GPS supported “around you” feature lets you see what interesting sights, restaurants, places, etc are close to you without using a data connection. At 10 Euros per MB (via T-Mobile Netherlands) I am quite happy about that. I will try some of the other city apps when I get there. Since the apps can be updated easily the content will also change with every new release of the print version.
Appshopper has more detailed information on this.
The Downsides
In contrast to these very nice experiences I had to realize that there are also some things here that really bug me. I have yet to find out if it is a cultural thing or a Beijing thing or just because I am a foreigner. On many occasions it seemed impossible to get even the easiest things done. Nothing is ever possible, nobody knows anything, and mostly with a big smile you will be told that the option or thing you are looking for does not exist only to find out a couple of minutes later that it is indeed possible and the usual routine. This happens everywhere from taxis over to restaurants, and even prestigious 5 star hotels. It seems to be common practice to send you to as many other people as possible to get your question answered. This reminded me of my army time where you would also have to go from office to office since everyone wanted to avoid having to work at all costs.
The Cars
Another thing that is quite sad but nonetheless massively amusing is the car brands that you can find here. This is a shot I took of a car that reminded me of the Tata Nano but the Logo looks more like Bentley. Other cars look just like their Western “counterpart”. In addition to that you can find many Western luxury cars here like the just-released BMW X6 or the Mercedes S600. Porsche Cayenne turbo seems to be a popular car too, as is the Audi A6 or A8. The last two seem to only sell as the Long-version, as the number of Audi A6L and A8L is just mind-blowing. Beijing resident and Dutch photographer Tom van Dillen captured this phenomenon as well and his pictures are really interesting.
Life: Celebrating Chinese New Year in Beijing
Two days after my arrival Chinese New Year celebrations started. The festivities start on the night of the 13th to the 14th of February. In essence it is the same as we have in Europe: lots of food, spending time with the family, launching some rockets and fireworks, and boiling up some wishes and resolutions for the future. Over here it seems that every Chinese feels the urge to spend a perceived half-year salary on fireworks. Between the high-rise apartment complexes the explosions of the firework are twice as loud and you never know from where the rockets are flying. Luckily this will go on for the next 14 days so we will have plenty of opportunities to enjoy it.
For New Years Eve we went to Tiananmen Square with the expectation to see something but nothing spectacular happened there. More spectacular was the cab ride home as it gave you a great impression of what is must feel like to drive through downtown Baghdad. While all kinds of things exploded left and right from us the cab driver carried on driving with a calming nonchalance.
Going through town is absolutely mind-blowing as you can see and experience the break-neck speed of development that everyone is talking about. This city of 15.5 million is simply one of the most fascinating things I have seen so far.
Life: First Impressions from Beijing
I just arrived in Beijing and I am a big fan of the city already. Here are some pics I took yesterday. More details will follow as soon as possible.
Toby who?
I'm a passionate entrepreneur, nerd, investor, speaker, and startup evangelist. I love to start things and see them grow. Whenever I can I will introduce people to the option of being a free person through pursuing their own dreams and ventures.