...forgot to mention! We sat in the main lounge having a drink and listening to the live group then set off for our room. We climbed into a lift and a voice said: hello Alan! Can you believe I met someone I know in KL? He and I have been bumping into each other for several years in Dubai, speaking on the same conferences, usually to do with the Balanced Scorecard, in fact, we worked together to deliver a top management workshop for El Seif, the KSA construction company a few years ago. He's ex Nat West so we have banking in common. No time to talk because he was dashing for a plane to Singapore but promised to email....but how surreal.
Saturday, 25 January 2014
Friday, 24 January 2014
Stage 2 - 24th January 2014
Today we decided to spend most of the day relaxing so we sat at the pool and read our books. I'm re-reading C.S. Lewis's trilogy, I've read 'Out of the Silent Planet' now onto Perelandra. I read the books as a teenager so it's all new to me now!
In the evening, after a few glasses of wine in the executive lounge, we set out to explore KL at night time, not looking for any 'action' just to see what goes on and maybe find a restaurant though Dianne not too sure about eating too far away from the hotel!
Not far from the hotel - not much more that 100 meters - is where the night life is most vibrant (our hotel, the Istana, is in a great location) so we toured the area and took some photos. It's approaching Chinese New Year so lots of decorations up ready for the big party - as you will note it's the year of the horse!
We didn't find a restaurant that we both fancied so returned to the hotel for a snack and a couple of glasses of wine.
In the evening, after a few glasses of wine in the executive lounge, we set out to explore KL at night time, not looking for any 'action' just to see what goes on and maybe find a restaurant though Dianne not too sure about eating too far away from the hotel!
Not far from the hotel - not much more that 100 meters - is where the night life is most vibrant (our hotel, the Istana, is in a great location) so we toured the area and took some photos. It's approaching Chinese New Year so lots of decorations up ready for the big party - as you will note it's the year of the horse!
We didn't find a restaurant that we both fancied so returned to the hotel for a snack and a couple of glasses of wine.
Stage 2 - 23rd January 2014
Another day off, in fact the start of my 3-week holiday. We decided to visit some of the sights we had spotted on the bus tours so first of all caught a taxi to China Town. This was a little disappointing because I expected to see lots of Chinese people and lots of Chinese restaurants but saw neither. It was mostly a few streets of shops and market stalls selling trash and not a single restaurant in site. So we set off for the Market, which was a really good experience, lots of good shops and many shops selling local art and crafts; we didn't buy because we are worried about the weight of our luggage - 30kilos coming in on Emirates but reduced to 20kilos on the local flights!
We found a 'famous' restaurant for lunch, famous for it's fish head curry but when we saw it on display we declined and went for the fish curry and the chicken curry, both really nice and spicy though too much for Dianne who ended up with a sore tummy!
After lunch we walked across town to the KL Tower where we paid our money and took a trip to the viewing platform at the top and took some photos. The weather here is superb, not too hot, but it's always a little hazy so the photos were not great, but they do give an impression of the height of the building.
We found a 'famous' restaurant for lunch, famous for it's fish head curry but when we saw it on display we declined and went for the fish curry and the chicken curry, both really nice and spicy though too much for Dianne who ended up with a sore tummy!
After lunch we walked across town to the KL Tower where we paid our money and took a trip to the viewing platform at the top and took some photos. The weather here is superb, not too hot, but it's always a little hazy so the photos were not great, but they do give an impression of the height of the building.
Stage 2 - 22nd January 2014
Day 2 of the workshop when we focused mostly on where the rubber hits the road, i.e. the interface between the service user and the service provider. We explored how we could improve the customer experience by a) reducing variation in processes, b) remove waste from processes, c) improve the performance of people (motivation, commitment, competence, culture and productivity). Lots of exercises and much debate and another good day. Lots of them wanted to have a photo taken with me so they must have enjoyed it!
Stage 2 - 21st January 2014
Today is day one of my two-day workshop. The subject is: Beyond Customer Satisfaction Measures, in other words, once you have some measure of satisfaction, or dissatisfaction, what can you do about it? Used the RATER analysis to explore what it is that customers focus on when making judgments about an organisation and then the SERVQUAL model to identify where gaps exist between customer expectations and customer experience. We then selected each of the gaps, explored why each gap could arise and examined methods for bridging the gaps.
Diverse group of delegates, 10 in all, from lots of different backgrounds: one from automotive manufacture and one from an insurance company illustrates the diversity, but they were all keen and engaged in the workshop with a great deal of enthusiasm.
A good start!
Diverse group of delegates, 10 in all, from lots of different backgrounds: one from automotive manufacture and one from an insurance company illustrates the diversity, but they were all keen and engaged in the workshop with a great deal of enthusiasm.
A good start!
Stage 2 - 20th January 2014
Day for the city tour! After breakfast at the hotel set off for the stop of the Hop on Hop off bus. Not long to wait before we were on board, on top in the open-top section. The idea was to see some of the city so we could spot the places of most interest so we could return later in the week. We disembarked only once at the bird sanctuary where I had a notion for some photography....and for setting free some of the residents!
Some photos of birds and some of the kids that accompanied us on our tour.
The city is largish but quite compact with lots of high rise, modern buildings which includes some very tall buildings like the Petronas Tower and KL Tower.. It's also very cosmopolitan with lots of Chinese, Indian, Japanese and other nations represented here. It's also choked with traffic, as most big cities are but the mono rail, or Sky Train, seems to take some of the strain.
The bird sanctuary is huge but I'm not a big fan of caging birds, but if they are to be caged this is the best way to do it, i.e. give them space to fly, although that luxury was not afforded all the birds, the birds of prey where housed in small cages with no facility to exercise their wings.
The bus took us, also, to the palace, which is the last photo.
Some photos of birds and some of the kids that accompanied us on our tour.
The city is largish but quite compact with lots of high rise, modern buildings which includes some very tall buildings like the Petronas Tower and KL Tower.. It's also very cosmopolitan with lots of Chinese, Indian, Japanese and other nations represented here. It's also choked with traffic, as most big cities are but the mono rail, or Sky Train, seems to take some of the strain.
The bird sanctuary is huge but I'm not a big fan of caging birds, but if they are to be caged this is the best way to do it, i.e. give them space to fly, although that luxury was not afforded all the birds, the birds of prey where housed in small cages with no facility to exercise their wings.
The bus took us, also, to the palace, which is the last photo.
Sunday, 19 January 2014
Stage 2 - 19th January 2014
Completed the work in Dubai and on the 17th January set off for Kuala Lumpur - not feeling too good (virus) so not looking forward to a 7 hour flight but we had a bit of good fortune. On arriving at DXB I asked about an upgrade to business class - thinking of using air miles or paying cash - so I might be able to sleep on the journey but was told we had already been upgraded with compliments of Emirates! How aboout that then?
Arrived at KL late in the evening and picked up by Limo - although they had to bring a bigger car to accommodate luggage! Checked in at the Istana Hotel and then asked about an upgrade to Executive Class which we were offered for £30 per night! Breakfast for two, afternoon tea, two-hour Happy Hour when drinks are free! I would be crazy to do it any other way - a bottle of wine costs about £40 in the hotel! Had some room service and turned in quite late, after 1:00 am local time - because we are now 5 hours ahead of Dubai or 9 hours ahead of London.
Yesterday we had breakfast then set off to find the monorail - the station is across the road from the hotel, rather conveniently - and travelled the 6 stops to KL sentral where we caught a 'proper' train out to the Batu caves, a holy place for Hindu's (there had been a big religious festival the day before so pleased we missed it! Too many people.) Took so photos of the place but was surprised to see so much rubbish and filth, although having been to Kerala and seen the way Indian people treat their environment I shouldn't have been surprised. Spent all afternoon there and then set off for the hotel and the Happy Hour! The nibbles were enough for us not to be bothered with having a meal so we had an early night - crazy really because we were both wide awake at midnight!
Today we went to find the Petronas Towers, which used to be the tallest buildings in the world, to take some more photos. Walked to the Towers and walked around the area, sat in the park and took a look at a nearby Mall where the Chinese New Year was being celebrated - the year of the horse - so took more photos. Stopped for a long cool drink in a bar then back to the hotel for afternoon tea. Dianne's foot is a little sore so she's off to have a massage!
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