Roma certainly was not built in one day

And they are absolutely right.

Roma has more tourist than Napoli, that’s for sure. They are everywhere on the streets of the Roma. You would think that if you have seen one old building you have seen them all. Are they just here to soak up the scorching sun? Are they really history buffs absorbing 2000 years of ancient history as the tourist guides with their state-of-the-art broadcasting technology rattles off facts and fiction with such conviction and dedication? I see many travellers with thick travel guides but I am content just reading the signboards on site. I have learnt from experience that I don’t have the capacity to process the deluge of information – I don’t bother to remember anything except one or two key points.
Yes, I am impressed with Roma, especially its rich history, after visiting the Colloseo (the rest of the World refers to it as the Coliseum) and the San Pietro (where the tombs of the Popes are located) and the Fontana di Trevi. I decided on the hop-on-hop-off bus (cost 16 euro) as I was burnt out from all the walking in Napoli. It got me around but I was right, the service is overrated. If I had the energy I would have preferred the local public transport.

Can you believe I had halal roast chicken for brunch on my first day in Roma? There seems to be a big demand for halal food here where I am staying right next to the Roma Termini (Rome Train and Bus Terminal). I found this place through the Internet. Very cheap, 41 euro per night but they give a discount of 5 euro if you pay in cash. I looked at the receipt but it does not state the dates when I am staying. I asked politely to have it written but even after trying to oblige me, I still didn’t get what I want. I am leaving only tomorrow morning but I had to pay the lady before she leaves her station at 9 pm. Weird. Yesterday, I asked for the remote for the air-con and was told that the air-con is central. I told her it was not on in my room but she looked at her monitor and said it is on. So, I opened the window to let the cool breeze in. Today, the aircon decided to come alive. On the website, the hotel claims to provide Internet service but when I asked, I was told that because of new regulations by the government on controlling access to the Internet (after the terrorist attack), the hotel could not afford to provide the service. But hey, no loss, there many Internet Points (shops) all around (some better than others). So, don’t believe everything you read on the web. Having said that, I think what they are doing to these old solid buildings is wonderful. In this building alone there are 4 or 5 small hotels, each taking certain floors on certains wings (30 or 40 rooms each hotel). The rooms are tiny but clean and newly renovated. The staff? Some are both friendly and distance. They are weird. They say thank you but don’t go out of their way to be friendly. Who cares? I am out of here tomorrow.

Finally, food. I have been having pasta, pasta and pasta for one week. So, last night I gave in to my urge to have Chinese food. I had Beef Noodle Soup, Roast Duck and Jasmine Tea. That cost me 19.50 euro. But I love the noodles so I went back again for dinner tonight. The people are very friendly and attentive and since I speak a sprinkling of Mandarin, that seemed to get some attention. If you are ever at the Roma Termini and crave for Chinese food, the restaurant is just directly opposite the terminal on Gioberti.

Goodbye Roma. Goodbye Italy. I promised to bring my wife one day for a 2nd or 3rd honeymoon. Ciao.

Roma, 16th July 2007

Goodbye Napoli

This is my last night in Napoli. Its been 7 days.

My first impressions of Napoli when I got to my hotel last Sunday was one of shock. I have walked for hours and hours and hours and I must count my lucky stars. My guardian angel has been watching over me. This morning at our GPEAN meeting, we observed that three of the participants were robbed in broad daylight. We recalled that a huge guy from Canada was robbed in the subway in Mexico City last year during the World Planning Schools Congress. One of the GPEAN members made an interesting observation that “everyone in Naples knows that you should go out with only enough money” to last the day. Keep your cash, passports and credit cards in the hotel. This, he said, is the “cultural ethos”. When “in Rome, do what the Romans do”.

Napoli traces its history back to the Greeks from the 7th Century so that’s a long history of some 2,000 years. 4 million people. I have seen the “good” side and the “no so good” side of the city but what I like most about the city is that it is lively and vibrant. People, young and old, live in the city in rehabilitated (and rundown) old buildings. Traffic during peak hour is crazy and it is amazing how they can maneuvre their tiny cars in and out of tight parking spaces. Most cars have scars from these delicate operations.

The public transport is extensive with buses, trains, trams and ferries. For 3 euro you can travel the whole day anywhere in the city. Learning how to use the system is not so difficult but getting the elusive maps showing the routes is. In the 6 days I have been here, I have not seen a single tourist booth. Ask for directions and you get a torrent of Italian. People are generally helpful but language is a problem. Waiters say arigato to me when I give tip. I tell them I am from Malaysia, they give me a blank look.

I love the spaghetti with clams – I think I had it 3 or 4 times. Cost between 8 and 10 euro a plate. Food at the hotel during the conference was also excellent. Tried the kebab, didn’t like it. Saw a Chinese Restaurant but decided not to waste my money. And of course, the cafes are great. Cappucino is 1.20 euro, expresso 0.70 and a doughnut 0.70. I have not seen a single Starbucks, Coffeebean, Pizza Hut or Dominos and we are cheering. One presentor from Istanbul was lamenting that these icons of the West are destroying the traditional cafes in Turkey. I wish those modern Kopitiams sprouting out in Malaysia could bring back some of the old world charm to Penang and KL but I think they lack character.

SALDI, SALDI, SALDI. Stupid me. I was wondering how come all the shops are called “Saldi”? I thought it was a brand! I finally figured out (after 7 days) that “saldi” meets “sale”. Yes, every shop is on sale. If shopping is what you want, you can find cheap, or cheaper, as well as extensive brands. Yesterday, because I had an all-day pass, I took the train, then the furnicular train and ended up in nice neighbourhood with a shopping area pedestrianised and full of people enjoying the outdoors. Accidental discoveries are my forte. Normally, I buy one item each for the 3 children and couple for my wife and maybe one or two for myself. That’s about all I can manage.
It’s been fun. Goodbye Napoli. Hello Roma.

10.23 pm, 14th July 2007, Napoli.

AESOP Congress, Napoli 2007

The Association of European Schools of Planning is holding its 21st Congress here. That’s 21 times in 21 years and one lady professor was awarded a certificate for attending everyone of them at their General Assembly the other day. More than 600 participants, more than 400 papers to be presented, and more than 40 countries represented at this congress. Quite remarkable. What are they doing right to draw the crowd? What can we learn for USM and APSA to attract such a huge and international audience to our own conferences? Of course academics come because they have to present papers but personally, if you come just to present a paper than I think you are just wasting a lot of time and money. Its about the bigger conversations and the networking. The big majority of presentors don’t get full funding from their universities. Even the National University of Singapore gives its professors only half funding. That goes for universities in USA and elsewhere. In fact, I have met quite a few who make it a commitment to attend these conferences even if they have to dig into their own pockets. Academics need to stay connected with their peers. USM should reveal its policy on sending academics for international conferences. Those with less than 7 years service are fully funded once every 2 years while the others are left on their own to figure out where to get money and those without research grants usually have a problem getting into the global networks. As I have said elsewhere in this blog, academics attend conferences for the conversations, in the parallel sessions, during coffee breaks, lunch, standinga around waiting for the next session, in the meetings and everywhere they bump into each other. So, all conferences are the same right? Well, on the first night of the conference I attended AESOP’s General Assembly and it was quite fun – relaxed and engaging. And it was a celebration of many things and people. There were awards and prizes for the Best Journal Paper, Best Paper in the European Journal, Best Congress Paper, Best Teaching Award and recognition for last service to the association. All except one did not have any prize money. Interestingly, the professor who won the Best Journal Paper related that his paper was originally rejected by a well-known journal in the USA. And it also happened to the year earlier. So, the question is, how do these peer reviewers do their work? AESOP has 108 Full Member Schools so it has huge numbers to support its activities. They also join forces with ACSP (Association of Collegiate Schools of Planning) of the United States every few years to hold joint conferences and the next one will be in Chicago (July 2008) where GPEAN will meet again. ACSP also commands a huge audience with paper presentations exceeding 800 each year. Many young academics use the conferences as sounding pads to present their research findings in preparation for publication in journals. AESOP also hows a series of very successful Ph.D. workshops to help aspiring young scholars to complete their thesis.

One of the things we all notice is that towards the end of the conference the crowd thins out as most have presented their papers and have headed for some R&R. Everyone takes their presentation serious, trying to keep to the 15 minutes allocated leading to many non-English speaking presentors opting to just read their prepared text. While this can be quite tedious for the audience, it is amazing how much the listeners try to relate to the speakers. In many of the parallel sessions, it was standing room only with the younger ones graciously giving up their seats for the veterans.

14th July 2007, Napoli