A Vacation called SPOC

Its almost a year and a half since my trip to Germany and i am finally writing a blog entry about it. Yes i am a douchebag!!! Showering no more disrespect to the avid bloggers community, here is it -

SPOC - Sapient Point Of Contact. We at T-Com go to Munich for 3 months on a rotational basis for this role. Well it is a different kind of a challenge, being there all alone, facing all the client queries. But ITS FUN!!!! So is this blog entry... nothing official about it!!!! :) :)

The Arrival:
The story starts much before i actually arrived in Munich, before the departure from IGI, also before the packing and weighing of the bags. Its about the day when things got finalized. I was finally traveling overseas. It had been delayed for various reasons, cant complain now. But yeah, missing the BeerFest was a really dumb choice!!! I cant write how much I wanted/want to be in Munich at the time of the OktoberFest.
With an excess baggage of arnd 11 Kg, my mom still wanted a few more things to add in the already 18 Kgs of food!!! She loves me way too much!!! ;)

First Day:
I reach MUC at 2:30 CET to find a BMW series 5 waiting for me outside. That car had a SOFA for a seat man. I kept admiring the car all my way to the apartment, maybe that's why i tipped the driver 5 euros on a bill of 60!!!! :|
There were Divraj and Vikas, the German Playboy Printing House employees!!!! ;) Well let me not complicate, they wer working for Burda, which prints Playboy in Germany. ;)
We almost immediately left for Mariene Platz the main shopping area in Munich, spent 500 Euros on the frst day of landing, watched the crappy ChandniChowk2China and had a totally diff/ taste of Pizza Hut, European style!!!! ;)

First Week:
The first week was eventful as well, money was flowing like water, 35-40 Euros a day was the avg. as of now!!! Spl mention for the skippable Munich Masala parties with Sehgal and co., Fab dinners with the big daddy of Team black 'Abhishek Dada' (spl. the Afghani restro and GAST)!!!
P.S: Associate Level ppl, avoid dining with AB if you have a decent appetite. He WILL make you eat the last piece of food bite on the table. Talk about work pressure!! ;) ;) ;)

The next couple of months:
The next couple of months were little eventful, but i did visit a lot of great places, mostly with these apartment guys and Jagdeep, the Scout Scout ;) had been my travel companion for most of the trips i took in Germany!!!!
Traveled places:
1. Augsberg - A truly awesome place, with majestic Castles and divine cathedrals. Had got the Swarovski in Rhodium ring for mom and my next girlfriend (Yeah its kinda cute isn't it, Shopping for a future girlfriend??).
2. Ulm - This was the client side, which is home to the ULM MINSTER 'Tallest Church in the World'!!!!!

3. Berlin - All courtesy of the Oracle guys who we met in the Olympia park in Munich. Berlin was fun, my first international nightclub visit, and the Pegasus Hostel. What can be a better than opening your eyes to the back of a European girl in her bare essentials?? :D :D Well this is the hostel i crashed into for the night in Berlin, co-ed dorms and even washrooms!!!

 4. Some more places like Chimsee Lake, Neuschwanstein Castle, then the Netherlands trip to Den Hagg, Rotterdam and Amsterdam!!! Wont make my blog boring with these entries, but yeah AMSTERDAM has to have a special para!!!!

Final Days:
In my last weeks before the return, clubbed an extended weekend with a couple of vacations and me, Jagdeep took off to Netherlands.. we went to Amsterdam, Den Hagg and Rotterdam!!!! It was an "AMAZING" trip.... Right from the word go... it was awesome all the way!!!! We reached the main Amsterdam city from the Schiphol Airport after traveling TICKET-LESS in high speed inter-city trains. Well we did not really have an option there. ;) ;)
Upon reaching the city, it was already late night, searching for our hotel was a huge task, should have roamed arnd the ARLD roads instead of going to the hotel ;) ;)
Cant thank Jagdeep more for accompanying me on the 'Easter weekend in Netherlands', for eating copious amounts of KFC, Burger King and Pizza Hut junk food, for helping me to the Hotel after i got stoned!!!! Yeah that was in Rotterdam, I was 100% stoned, cant remember much from that day!!!!

Spl. reference to the small guesthouse we went to in Rotterdam 'Tourist Travel Inn', very cost effective; the rooms, beds were awesome and the Uncle was really nice and sub-continent friendly (lived in Goa for 20 yrs)!!!

The blog till now seems to be a little disoriented,  which is actually no surprise as I have written it!!!!
The point that i wanted to make or convey is that going onsite is not just about making money, searching for the per-diem receipts, going to clubs or working with the clients like an ass. The experience is exhilarating. It brings out the best in you.... Good or bad, but it does give you that kick... I have to say, the 3 month vacation was the time that i learned most in my professional life. It gave me a perspective towards things, towards work, towards life and towards BEER!!!! :D :D :D

I hope to get this blog included in the SPOC Rampup guide. ;) ;)
Signing off with 3 Cheers for all the former, current and future SPOCs... Hip Hip Hurray!!!!! :) :) :)

P.S: Some memories from the trip at My Picasa Albums!!!!