Tokyo - photos

Very nice posh place, the Park Hyatt is! Weather is cloudy so I can't even see Mt. Fuji... I have a lot of work to catch up on, so I think I'll spend some my Sunday doing that... might as well do it in luxury!!

Got a coffee in a machine at the airport that was so confusing to use! Also then threw the cup away afterwards, and there was an option in the waste for "Pet Bottles" - what the hell are those?

Took the train to Omote-Sando and saw some bizarre girls dressed up like S&M Animé. They were total posers, so I took a few pictures but then got bored as I'm sure they were of me. Walked through a park to to Meiji-jingu, the main shrine of Japan. Pretty but exactly like the one Andy and I saw earlier this year, so I just moved on... I could not believe how HUGE the park was though, quiet too, and it is in central Tokyo. Amazing. Then hit this cute area totally by accident, lots of windy streets going up and down hills with bakeries and eateries... then off to enjoy my luxury at the Park Hyatt.

Home tomorrow! Yeah!

Ho Chi Minh City - photos

What an interesting day.

A few things to note before I forget: I've seen more older people with severed limbs here than in any city; I was told by a young Vietnamese boy "Honey, I love you"; older women really DO wear pointy straw hats here; pollution from all the mopeds is terrible; the Viet currency has the funniest name in the world - it is called the Dong; I am the only blond in the entire country right now; I look so foreign, locals just hound me to sell anything to the point that I am tired of going out and fighting it anymore.

I walked to Reunification Palace which is the seat of government and is also a museum in some ways kept exactly unchanged since the Vietnam War. Strangely, the areas still used by the President are also unchanged since the war - meaning very bad condition and very bad taste. Look at the photos - one room actually has a stuffed leopard and a chandelier in it amongst 70s carpet.

Most interesting was going to the roof and seeing a helicopeter there from the war; also interesting was the bunker in the basement, kept as a museum used just as during the war. The ending was very interesting - a museum of pictures and mementos about Vietnam's occupation by the French, the American war and subsequent victory by the Communists. What was most interesting was not that it wasn't factual, and in some ways very fair, but also very slanted anti-American; there was not a single positive comment about the American war. I'm fascinated and will likely want to read more about it politically (rather then the 1.5 million movies on the battles).

Then went shopping, including buying a linen print of communist propoganda. This was truly a fascinating store, much of it so anti-American that it actually made me feel bad; curiously, some other Americans were in there as well looking to buy a print, but they said exactly as I felt: "Well, we're not going to buy any war posters." There were many that showed USAF planes burning and crashing from the sky, some posters showing South Vietnamese soldiers tied up on a post and being shot. Fascinating. I ended up getting something not quite so harsh but still rather Bolshevik. Very cool.

I have so much crap to take home! I look forward to sleeping tonight and just relaxing in Tokyo tomorrow; I think I will just stay at the hotel, relax and other than go for a walk just work in my room. A lot of catching up to do!

Ho Chi Minh City

I've fallen in love with this place!

The people here are so nice, the service level is just astounding. Everyone smiles... the city is bustling with so many people, it is amazing. The food is great and of course it is incredibly cheap!
An oddity: I tried to place a call today to Switzerland, but apparently it is illegal to call there from Vietnam. A strange political fallout from a communist country? I thought Switzerland was neutral...

Had a 90-minute Thai Massage here, feel great. The Park Hyatt Saigon is just truly amazing, extremely luxurious in a city where you just would never expect it.

All day shopping and relaxing tomorrow, then off to Tokyo at midnight!

Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

Wow, what a place.

In the first ten minutes of arrival I experienced more culture than I had in 3 days in Sinagpore... the airport arrival outside of the baggage claim was filled with more people than I have seen at any third-world airport, but unlike the chaos that usually ensues, it was eerily controlled - no screaming babies or people asking for taxis, rather, just 3,000 people looking at us hoping we were their loved on/associate/friend/potential ride/whatever...

As we drove down the streets, what really struck me was how at there were almost no cars, but about 300 mopeds at each stoplight. Intersections filled with mopeds, one guy was carrying a shell of a computer between his legs while driving it. Along the streets, it looked like lots of little colourful buildings similar to Mexico City without the grafitti - but in front hanging from the telephone poles were not only a few cables but hundreds of them, as if the growth to commerce has been so fast they haven't had time to put the cables underground.

The drive to the hotel was past Reunification Square - a park with a museum holding two tanks from the Vietnam war, with big red flags and building sized posters of crowds of happy people.


The hotel itself is stunningly gorgeous, a throw back in time. When you enter you feel like you just walked into 1948 Saigon. Gorgeous potted palms, huge shuttered french paned windows and a grand piano adorn the lobby.... the male employees in white banded shirts and black slacks, women all in long black robes, both uniforms perfectly pressed and hair clean and kept back. Rooms are just stunning, old simplicity...

Had dinner in an open air local restaurant, with a tree in it. The outdoor edges were covered with a sail underwhich were the kitchens... freshest vegetables I have ever had, we had to make our own spring roles by hand... neat. Cheap as hell.

But now I am just exhausted so going to sleep...

Singapore

Oh, the joys of webcams!

Setting up the webcam has been hilarious... when I go to the computer the dogs are invariably in the room locked up. It is funny to look in and spy on them when Andrew is not there... generally they are bored waiting for someone to come home, but my favorite is to knock on the desk and shout out "who is it?" They run around barking acting like someone is there and it was just me playing a game with them from Singapore!

The amazing thing is to see Jake will bark when he hears me walk around or talk on the phone here in Singapore. His ears are so good he can tell it is me and he barks thinking I'm home . Whenever I mute the speaker, he is quiet. Truly amazing.

My last day here... yesterday after going to breakfast I went shopping... my God I spent a lot of money. My credit card got security halted and I could not clear it until 11pm last night because of the time difference. How frustrating! I really was spending a lot of money!

Today it is raining a bit... I am off to Ho Chi Minh City for a conference, so I have to pack and run soon. Danielle and Mark are coming over to the house so while they have a beer they will go on the Webcam and say HI to me in Singapore where I will be having coffee... a party 6,000 miles away and I'll be a part of it! Too cool!

Singapore

I'm always surprised how busy it is here... like New York, tons of people everywhere... and they just shop shop shop. That's ME tomorrow.... I so badly need some new clothes, I am going to spend lots of money. But luckily it is the shopping sales - "The Great Singapore Sale" is from 26 May - 23 June and I'm in the middle of it!

So tomorrow will be just to take it easy... nice, given how hot and humid it is. It is 82 degrees - feels like 92 - and it is almost 10pm! Crazy...

off to bed!

Buenos Aires - photos

You know, getting older is kind of a funny thing. I still get thrilled about opening a luxury hotel - all the activity, seeing the finishing touches, the buzz of excitement in the community. But it is tempered with so much more now - I miss home, Andy, my friends, my parents. My mom is in Ireland - how was her trip? Dad mentioned how well the lawn looks; what did he do to get it that way? Andy's been dealing with the rain in Chicago - has it been that dreary? Are the dogs restless? How is Kim's new job? Funny how I'm more rooted than I ever dreamed I would be. Yet I am happy about it, it keeps things in perspective.

The hotel here is really amazing, and I can't wait to come back and see it in operation. The people are just so wonderful, really warm and truly excited about working at such a spectacular place. Room 208 is just AMAZING, I can't even believe what it will be like with all the activity, guests rushing past the Piano Nobile forgetting they had reserved a Spa suite or a table in the dining room near the cheese room. Just a wonderful place. I can close my eyes and see it happen, but for now, it is just construction and dust dust dust everywhere! The staff gave me a wonderful, personal sendoff... I was very touched...

I haven't worked out for two weeks, I've been sick, working on emails from 7am-8am and 10pm-12am every night, plus dinners and drinks... what a trip! All I want to do is sleep... sleep... sleep... but until then, how about a 12 hour trip from B.A. to Chicago?!?!!!

Look forward to my next trip here when I can actually visit the city! What a concept!

And on a final note... yes, I have now heard of Diego Maradona!

Buenos Aires

Raining today after 4 beautiful days of sun and near-70 degrees. We've been working nonstop downstairs in the basement of our beautiful hotel that is about to open. It is exciting! I look forward to my next visit... after many delays, it appears relatively ontime.

A lot of fun on this visit but a lot of work, too. I have never laughed so much and worked so late. Every night lasts until around 11pm because everyone in S America dines late. So strange to go to dinner at 10pm with almost noone in a restaurant and leave at 11 or 11.30 and see the place full!

The Recoleta district is full of trees and nice buildings....

Leave for home tomorrow!

Sao Paulo - photos

I love this hotel! Truly amazing.... not only is the food incredible and the decor nothing short of perfect, the hotel unpacked all my clothes while I was in meetings and the rest is being sent down to the laundry. I didn't even ask to do this, and I can't wait to get the clothes back because they will look GREAT as if I just bought them from the store! Best hotel in the company!

Literally worked all day and exhausted but looking forward to sleeping in late and then going on a city tour, then come back and change for a fun night of dinner...

But now, off to a massage at Anakena Spa at the Grand Hyatt Sao Paulo...

Santiago de Chile

Another long day yesterday... very hot here, unusual for this time of year; I am certain it must have been 80 degrees F. Pollution was real bad, you could barely see the Andes. The new freeway is finished, it now only takes about 25 minutes from the airport to the hotel - it goes for 6km directly under the river in a tunnel.

Will be working most of the time, I am hoping to have some free time later today to at least go to Pura - a great local art store in Las Condes - as well as maybe the nearby mall for a walk; but I am here for work and honestly don't have much free time due to meetings and training...

This morning the Andes look so beautiful as the sun rises over them. Such a spectacular setting for a city!

Earthquake in Mendoza!
(earthquake map to the left, this quake in red)

In a deep sleep, I was awakened at just a few minutes past 6am by a quite strong quake. It lasted I would guess 15 seconds and was in a rolling motion - I was sufficiently certain that the quake had awoken my colleague Maria, so I called her in her room.... and yes, Maria was wide awake!

I tried to look on-line to find a registry but so far haven't found it listed.... will keep looking, but if it was centered here, my guess it was between a 5.0 and a 6.0. Definitely strong enough but no damage, I'm sure....

Lest anyone forget, Mendoza was famously destroyed by an earthquake in 1861; its wide boulevards and strategically placed plazas were created to allow buildings to crash into the street yet provide space for people and emergency equipment to move around them to the official congregation points - the plazas. The ruins of the cathedral remain to remind the residents of just how dangerous the area is...

The USGS posted this on their website... a 5.1, but at 129.5 miles, very deep in the earth... a good guess by me!

MAG UTC DATE-TIMEy/m/d h:m:s LATdeg LONdeg DEPTHkm Region
5.1 2006/05/09 09:02:27 -32.374 -69.266 129.5 MENDOZA, ARGENTINA

link: http://earthquake.usgs.gov/eqcenter/recenteqsww/Quakes/quakes_all.php

Mendoza, Argentina - photos

Cloudy skies this mid-Autumn day in Mendoza. The wide boulevards appear as tree-tunnels with ceilings of orange and gold. The plazas are quiet as any typical Sunday afternoon, the occasional family or couple walking by.

Such a pretty little city. The hotel welcomed us in open arms as always; after settling in, I called Dave who runs www.vinesofmendoza.com. He has a tasting room on the edge of the plaza and he knows my friends Aimee, Kim and Cheryl. We had a nice glass of Cabernet and talked about our mutual friends and what we are doing in life. It was a fun, relaxing conversation in a comfortable slick tasting room just steps off the Plaza Independencia. He invited us to an asado, which is an Argentine barbeque, tonight at 9pm.

After our talk, Maria and I walked around the streets and up through the park to the lake. A long walk, but very nice on a Sunday afternoon. Very peaceful, but it was funny to see some Americans (obviously) walk by in their t-shirts and shorts (too cold for that) and dogs. Now it is a rest with a glass of Malbec by Trapiche (just had this in Chicago last Thursday!) in my room before a walk through the art fair and then the asado!

Aeropuerto - Santiago de Chile

It amazes me how great it is to fly down to South America... because there is relatively no time change to North America, there is no jet lag, only what I call travel lag.... that is, just feeling tired from being in a seat for 12 hours. Since I had dinner on the flight to Miami, I literally skipped it on the flight down and slept 20 minutes into take off, waking up only 45 minutes before landing. That's 7 hours of sleep on a flight! I feel a bit groggy but good!

Flying down here is so cool, along the Andes mountain range. The sun was just starting to rise - that deep blue/red colour on the horizon - and you could see the outline of the mountains, still snow capped of course. Incredibly gorgeous. Nearing landing, as is usual this time of year, you can see the low fog hugging the valleys, nooks and crannies of the low mountains. Pretty. At least not enough to delay my arrival!

I am waiting in the Admirals Club (strangely like its namesake - an old ship Admiral's office, wood and plaid seats - yuck) drinking my powdered orange juice waiting for Maria. She is getting in any minute from México D.F. and then we fly together to Mendoza. Today, we will meet Marlenne at the airport, then after getting settled to do some wine tasting and join an asado - a traditional barbeque of Argentine beef. Yummy! Oddly, Aimee's friend Dave moved to Mendoza so there will be an MSU contact there... we're everywhere!

Ok, off to finish my Tang...

Washington, DC

Fourth week of travel in a row.... wow, I'm tired. At least the weather here is great... the hotel runs an apartment building next door, it has been nice to "live like a local" for a change. I went to the supermarket on Monday and bought food for the week; went for a walk in Georgetown on Monday, then nice to be able to walk to the health club and relax a little more instead of living in a hotel for a week. Comfortable.

Next week I'll be in Chicago the whole week.... hooray!

Always forget how nice the city is here. Georgetown is so charming; cobblestone streets and old colonial row buildings with cherry blossom trees shedding their buds. Very pretty.

I also am now totally addicted to American Idol. I was for sure that Ace (the pretty boy) would be kicked off this week, but he actually did alright - the pretty dumb chick, Kellie, is for sure saying sayonara. She totally messed up! A fun thing to follow while I'm traveling... I call Andy after every singer commenting on who was the best.

Home on Friday!!!

Mexico City

I'm famous! Check out the publication of some brief questions asked of me at my conference here in Mexico...

http://www.eyefortravel.com/index.asp?news=50445

Next stop, Entertainment Tonight!

Mexico City

I'm always surprised how much I like this city; perhaps because I'm staying in the nicest area, Polanco. Parks, cafés, boutiques all over. The architecture is great - old traditional Mexican homes next to modern marvels. Really eclectic, neat, upscale.

The first day here it was so clear you could see the mountains, but not today... very smoggy, which is per the norm. Warm though, nice to be here in April - that is, if I every get outside!

Worked a ton, that is the worst part of work travel. I work until midnight, then get up before 7am and work more. Work work work work work, it is truly exhausting.

Home tomorrow... and Minneapolis next week!

Washington, DC

In town to help re-open the Park Hyatt Washington. Flight delayed due to rain at ORD... funny how a 3 hour delay seems like no big deal as long as you travel domestically... even if I were flying to California, it still would be shorter than most international trips...

Always surprised every time I come here, which isn't often. It is a pretty city with so many things to do, yet I never take advantage. This year my H.S. reunion is here (20th, no less!) and it will be at the Grand Hyatt. I stay there tomorrow night... city is sold out, so my first night is in Crystal City - not exciting at all.

Weather incredible, I hope I get a chance to enjoy it. Probably not tomorrow however - I have an 8am conference call, a 9.30 meeting, then a 12pm conference call and more work the rest of the day, dinner at 7.30 and a conference call to India at 10pm. I'll be pooped...

Ciao for now... (p.s. watched American Idol for the first time last night, that girl Paris is quite a singer!)

Cancun – post Hurricane Wilma - photos

What an interesting journey.

A trip to Cancun to revise the pricing for one of our two hotels in Cancun, and I must admit, I was fascinated with what a “disaster zone” might look like. I had heard the news reports that much had been cleaned up; however, when I tried to book a room, I could find few hotels and the rates were high. This was an indication to me that things weren’t auite back to normal yet. Boy was I right.

From the airport, you couldn’t tell – even leaving it, it was perfectly clean and manicured, as always. However, a few kilometers in and you could see many of the trees stripped of their colour, many simply with their tops removed. About 10 kilometers in, the road rides a levee of sorts; on the lagoon side the edge was filled with toppled, naked trees.

The Hilton is the first hotel at the edge of the hotel zone, and immediately one can see the sign and patches of paint stripped, the glass roof gone and many windows boarded up. As you enter the hotel zone, you continue to see such damage, interspersed with completely rebuilt hotels (Fiesta Americana, Le Meridien) next to hotels that had been really badly hit (the Aqua, which was completely torn apart; the Gran Melia, whose glass domes – four of five – were completely gone; the Sheraton, which was literally leveled, now just a sign and bare grass with specks of rubble).

The Hyatt Cancun Caribe managed relatively well considering; “average” damage. The Hyatt Regency was torn apart, now stripped bare even of its doors by the insurance company. Nothing left but a skeleton.

I think the most amazing scenes were those of the Gran Melia – it is such a large hotel, to see such damage was astounding – and the edge of the Hyatt Cancun Caribe one could look in at a room from the beach and the iron rivets inside the concrete were literally bent up. I could look straight into a room from the beach, nothing left, no wall or windows.

Wow, the power of a hurricane!
But in all this damage, the people were keeping the places as clean as possible and working hard to restore…

Tokyo

Well, we're at the airport waiting to get home. Tokyo has been a bit of a surprise. We arrived to a blinding snowstorm, they had their heaviest snowfall in 10 years the day we arrived. About half a foot! Coming from where we left Bali which was 85 degrees at 11pm, this was a shock to our system...

We took the subway (clean, a little confusing to figure out) to the Dingka-gai (Electric Town) area to check out all of the electronics. It was a blast... especially when we adventured into a Pachinko Machine Gambling place. I had totally forgot about pachinko machines, we had one as a kid - kind of like a pinball machine but many more and smaller balls, and very colourful. Unlike with a pinball machine, though, you turn knobs to get the balls into certain holes (whereas in pinball you move bumpers to keep a single ball from the single hole). People were gambling with the number of balls they were gathering, then they turn them in. Fasinating.

We also then walked into many electronic shops and realised we don't need anything (!!!), so we went to these anime toy stores. Totally cool - Andrew bought a doll for around 5,000 Yen ($50) that is a sexy girl wearing a band uniform. Artful, different. Awesome.

At night we went on a tour of the Park Hyatt Tokyo and then the hotel took us to drinks and also took care of our dinner at the New York Grill - where Scarlett Joahnnsen and Bill Murray had dinner in Lost in Translation. Quite a treat, and the blizzard finally cleared to show a spectacular view of Tokyo - all snow covered under the city lights.

Today we went to a famous shrine (forgot the name) - we wished for a friend of ours to get well and got a fortune. Then went to Ginza where we went down a side street and bought lunch at a place that spoke no English and thankfully had pictures on the menu of the food - tempura vegetables on rice plus noodle soup. Safe and easy. Finally went home, packed and here we are!

Final note - the airport must be further away from any major city than any other airport/city combo in the world. It takes over an hour to get to the airport from the city edge!

Look for a note for photos, will post them when we get home. Actually looking forward to it! Time to go see Andy, he's bored watching TV in Japanese...

Nusa Dua, Bali, Indonesia

This place is awesome. We already have two full suitcases full of stuff to bring back from Bali and we still want more! Extremely inexpensive and truly wonderful. Today is our fifth day here, so here are some of the highlights:

- Five hour spa day at the Bali Hyatt, in Sanur, just north of where we are now (the Grand Hyatt). Massages, milk bath, even lunch. Truly relaxing and amazing.

- Ubud is art, art and more art. Never seen so much art lining the streets for miles even getting there. Very touristy but well done.

- People here very poor and life is difficult. At the Grand Hyatt there literally must only be 20 guests in a 750 room hotel. Every local we talk to says work is "bad", you're the "first customer in a week" or a month even. The Balinese don't consider themselves Indonesian and are unhappy about the terrorism - only that. Very happy people despite such difficult working environment.

- Went to Monkey forest, with a temple, etc. Monkeys everywhere, at first amazing, now just irritating, but it is interesting to see them wherever there are temples. Aggressive, grab at your sarong/backpacks for anything.

- Temples everywhere, so beautiful but there is one every 500 feet. Get a bit desensitised, but they are truly amazing.

- Took a drive and got lost (worst driving conditions I have seen anywhere, period). But we got lost at the most amazing place, in the middle of nowhere and found out later we were in the center of the island - rice fields, small villages, poor, spectacular scenery. Can't wait to get the pictures published.

- Went white water rafting in a gorge in a rain forest, jungle with waterfalls and hanging bridges all over. Never seen anything like it, every once in a while a hotel will be perched 1,000 feet up the cliff from where we were. Truly spectacular, out of Jurassic Park.

- Massive rain storm last night, about the loudest thunder we've ever heard. All night! But rain is only part of the day, then gets clear or partly cloudy rest of day.

That is it for the time. Can't believe trip is almost over, leave for Tokyo late Friday and then there all day Saturday, come home on Sunday. See you all soon...

Kuala Lumpur

What a great trip so far.... we've had nothing but splendid weather, lots of fun and rest. Hard to believe we aren't even half way through the trip. Our last day in Thailand we went on an elephant ride, it was awesome. Andy fed a baby elephant and hugged it, it was so cute - it even danced and played the harmonica for us!

Kuala Lumpur has been as hot and humid as I remember, just miserable - although not quite as bad as last time. We toured the mosques and went to the Petronas towers where we also had lunch. Amazing to see an area filled with culture, then take the train and 10 minutes later be in a mega-mall. This city is filled with such yin and yang. I'm in the executive club lounge at the Hilton (ha ha - got an upgrade thanks to American Airlines, they have no idea I work for Hyatt) and we're about to go off to Petaling Street, which is a huge section of streets in Chinatown that are covered over the top of the buildings and have a street fair at night.

Tomorrow, off to 8 days in Bali!

Ciao for now...

Hua Hin, Thailand

We are doing well here in Thailand. After a grueling 30 hour trip to Bangkok (thank God for the Cathay Pacific business lounge in Hong Kong, at least a little luxury on the trip), we had an amazing river tour of the Bangkok canals and visited the Grand Palace just as the sun broke out and it hit 90 degrees. Boy was it hot! But when we get the pictures up when we get back, you'll have to see it - just amazing. We also went to a transsexual cabaret show which was... interesting.

Now in Hua Hin, a tiny town on the coast. Beautiful hotel and a cute town, did the night market last night. We've already got tons of stuff and we're only at day 4 of our vacation!Today we are going to hike to the little hill at the end of the beach and visit the temple. Then I am taking a Thai kickboxing class after spending time by the pool... tomorrow we are taking elephant rides and more pool time before heading to Kuala Lumpur.

Already feel a world away and we only started the vacation! Weather cooler than normal, except for the one hot day, it has been mid 80s and sunny all the time.
Biggest surprise: how clean Bangkok is and how friendly everyone is. A very, very happy people.

Until next time... got a beach to visit...

South Beach, Miami

I have never felt so out of place... so many beautiful people it is really strange, irritating in some ways!

Stayed at the Hotel Victor, a boutique hotel that Hyatt is running. Very South Beach... it is kind of like staying at a nightclub instead of just going to one... very neat, fun, but definitely out there. If I were staying in South Beach, I would definitely stay here... but it is a destination unique unto its own. Check out the photos on the Hyatt.com website (pool area is very cool by the way, my favourite part of the hotel).

South Beach is... boring. A beach, great architecture but then all there is to do is eat, drink and watch people. There are a few shops off the main strip and in fact there are two cool shopping areas called Espanola Way and Lincoln Road, but they are far from the strip and not very big. Worst part was that meals are incredibly expensive and they include the gratuity... which would be ok if the service was good, but it generally has sucked, as has the food. In the future, I don't recommend eating at any of the restaurants on Ocean Drive at all. Generally, they suck (although I hear the restaurant at the Hotel Victor is yummy).

My appointment today canceled so I am doing work in my room as it started raining. Sucks. I'm sure it will be sunny by time I leave... oh well...

Ciao!

Changi International Airport - Singapore

Last night went to have fish head curry for dinner... it was good! Apparently it is a famous Singaporean dish, we went to a very nice modern restaurant - it was actually just a big fish whose head was still on in a big bowl with curry and rice... mmm good!

Got back to the room and had all kinds of calls and emails, did not get to bed until 1am and had to get up at 5:30am. Totally sucked. I am working way too hard and I am going to get sick if I keep this up, I am glad I am on my way home to Chicago. I totally understimated how difficult it is to get work done in Asia when you're based in the U.S., the time zone is very difficult and everyone needs everything yesterday - literally, because it is the next day by the time you get their emails. And if you stay up at night, it is easy to get caught up in email hell with no sleep.

At least I will be able to sleep on the flight... thank goodness! I may fall asleep before we even take off...

Next stop in 7 hours is - HELP ME - Tokyo Narita airport. See earlier posting... YUCK!

Ciao for now...

Singapore

Too much time by the pool... I'm sunburned! Oh well, not bad but not good either.

Today was interesting, lots of people on the streets. I saw

• "Actors" parading down the street in Egyptian wear doing an advertisement for a special on the Discovery Channel
• A fashion show for Levi's literally in the middle of a crowd, they were having to move around people to do their stuff.... as if people would really have their hair done up in the way these people did!
• A Japanese television show in the middle of a crowd on the corner of a street. They kept pointing to Tashimaya, the big Japanese department store.

Funny. When I went into Tashimaya, their food court was just disgusting, the most unappetising food I have ever seen. I finally chose these "tomato" noodles... turned out they used KETCHUP, not tomato sauce... I threw it away, it was so gross.

I DID eat in a very cool place. There is a mall called Paragon and in it a store called BloodBrothers (which incidentally has great clothes). Behind it is a little café called "Blood Brothers Café" and it is veggie and very cool, literally a place in the back of a clothing store. Totally would go back, maybe tomorrow!

So I hung by the pool and walked around and did a little shopping. Tomorrow I will do more window shopping, work out and actually do some work (unfortunately)....

Singapore

The weekend! Hooray!

I slept 11 hours last night... must have needed it, woke up around 9am. I went to a barbeque at the Director of Marketing's new home last night, it was neat to be at a residence instead of a hotel... nice pool and the food was a great mix of Indonesian, Malay and Indian. Yummy! Stayed for a few beers and then came home and crashed...

Today I am downloading a CD to my new iShuffle, then I am going to the pool and just catch some rays. I had the opportunity to go to Bangkok this weekend, or even Bali, but I decided I should save those trips to go with someone special. I really would like to come back here, go to Bali and see Borobudur/Yogyakarta, and then maybe hit Australia again. Perhaps this winter that could be the big vacation...

I come home on Thursday and I can't wait to get back. It has been a long trip, productive at least from learning about the system and how well I've prepared or not prepared, but good nonetheless. So I'm pretending like I'm on vacation this weekend... so, off to the pool...

Kuala Lumpur / Singapore

What a fascinating place, I really liked K.L. a lot. I'm back in Singapore but I had to jot down some things to remember:

• Their version of English is riddled with misspellings, it is strange: Sentral Station, Ekspress Train, Indian Restaran, etc. Easy to understand but a little strange to get used to.
• Infrastructure is very modern but the city is a combination of wealth and grittiness. It was strange to be in a city that on one side had a bus station that is everyone's third-world nightmare and a modern subway that you can take to a slick, modern and beautiful airport. Shopping at Petaling street was for RM$20 (that's US$6) fake Cartier watches or at the KLCC mall at Petronas Towers where you can buy a real Cartier just like in any upscale mall.
• Hot. The temperature said 91 but it felt much hotter, like 100. People just lie or sit under trees and do nothing to keep cool. At one mosque you can see people just lying flat on the floor to keep cool!
• I wish the Islamic fundamentalists would come to K.L. You see such a large number of Muslim women (due to their dress, I assume there are many men also) who are along with Christian and Bhuddists, a very mixed society. It felt strange to see Malaysian (ie, Asian) women wearing Islamic headdresses, so many of them!
• Very few bars here, hard to find any at all. This is probably because of the Muslim influence.

That is all I can remember for now, but I really enjoyed how unusual and different it was. Now I'm back in Singapore for another week of work...

Changi International Airport - Singapore

Waiting for my flight (delayed) to Kuala Lumpur. Great airport... very clean, lots of plants, tons of shopping and different types - not just duty free (snooze) but also a very nice Singapore souvenir shop, tons of ethnic eateries... and free copies of the Financial Times and free internet. Nice perks while watiting.

Tired, looking forward to getting to the hotel... flight is less than an hour long. I was going to go to the pool, but a torrential rain storm started so I worked out instead. I feel like I live here - rarely do I get to be at one place for so long, it is rather nice. I'm pretty familiar with the streets and the metro now, although Singapore isn't that big so it isn't hard to get to that point, I suppose.

Tomorrow it is supposed to hit 95 degrees in Kuala Lumpur. Ouch, that will be hot!

Today I did some shopping and got not only some souvenirs but I splurged and bought an iShuffle. I don't need an iPod as I won't listen to it much, but I wanted this for just quick trips to help kill time, plus it is easier to carry when traveling instead of Cds.

Time to board the flight... next stop, Kuala Lumpur!

Singapore

Finally a day off!

Last night, Nora took me to the Novena area of Singapore, which is more residential, to a kind of fast food restaurant - but it was an Indian vegetarian place. It was called Komala's. Like at McDonald's they have individual selections or a value meal, which included your main dish, a drink (coffee, tea or hot milk) plus a side dish of curry mashed potatoes and either chick peas or beans. As I look at my receipt, I chose value meal B2 with a main dish of Orawa Masal with coffee. It was good! I thought that would be a great idea State side if more people liked Indian food...

We took the doubledecker bus back to the hotel and as we sat down, I noticed that there was a television in the bus! You can watch tv as you make your way to your destination... interesting idea.

Singapore is just a hopping, shopping place. I'd but the bustling meter right up there with New York and London - night and day, people are EVERYWHERE. Intense.

Today I plan on doing the Singaporean thing - shopping - then to hang by the pool and take a nap. I decided to buy a quick plane flight to Kuala Lumpur (locals call it K.L. for short) and will stay at the new Le Meridien there tonight, then spend the day there tomorrow before coming home. Very easy, can take the train to/from the airport at both places, and the flight is only an hour long including the taxiing and everything - just too easy. Why not?!

Ok, I am off to start my day...

Komala's in Singapore

Singapore

Working my butt off here, tonight I had three conference calls 8pm,9pm and midnight, but I just had one added at 10:30pm. Plus I started the day with an 8am conference call then training all day... very tired.

Singapore is hot, very clean and a busy, fast city. Lots of shopping! The hotel is wonderful, very modern and great service - food is good, too. English is the main language, very interesting to be in Asia but to hear English spoken so well - much better than in Hong Kong. The city is quite a melting pot too, I walked around for one day and saw not only all kinds of ethnicities but also saw a Hindu shrine next to an Islamic Temple and a Baptist church... very interesting, only in the U.S. have I seen that.

Thinking about going to Kuala Lumpur on Saturday night for one night but we'll see how it goes, if I am too tired I may just stay in Singapore. It is a 4-5 hour ride in a luxury coach and much cheaper than flying...

Ciao for now...

Tokyo Narita International Airport

Help! I've been kidnapped by the Japanese!

And to top this all off, I had a huge hilarious blog that I was ready to post but was lost because this crappy airport lost its WiFi signal.

To make it short...

This airport sucks

- I am flying on JAL but all of the signs are directing me to AA flights that AA did not give me numbers to
- I felt like a victim at Auschwitz. "JAL go on white bus. Thank you." Where was I going? Why?
- All of the shopping is duty free hell, absolutely boring and minimal, anyways.
- JAL business class lounge is worst of all. Decor beamed in from 1983. "Lady and the Tramp" to "Don't Cry for me Argentina" in MUSAK, full strings, and loud too. Painful and crappy. All of the food is individually wrapped in plastic... even the sticks of butter. Bizarre.
- Plasma screen in the lounge! Hooray! Only shows stock tickers in Japanese! Boo!

I am bored out of my mind and despise this airport... 5 hour layover , too. God help me!

"Honshu, Isn't Tokyo airport boring?"
"Well, at least they have Duty Free!"

Zürich Flüghafen (Zurich International Airport - Swissair Lounge)

Nice lounge, although food is mostly prepackaged and unexciting, I needed a snack so it sufficed. Apparently they have the 'longest consistently staffed airport executive lounge bar in the world' here at Swissair. Talk about searching for something to brag about... WHO CARES?!

A few facts that I forgot to mention about Zürich...

- Watch shops everywhere
- Chocolate shops everywhere
- Exchange rate is basically .75€=1$=1.2 CHF. Saw a cute t-shirt for 39CHF and I did not realise the conversion was so poor, glad I did not buy it.
- I love the parking signs here. For every parking lot they show the number of spaces available, so you know which ones are full or busy before deciding to pull in. Very convenient!

Ok, alles gud. I am outta here...

Zurich

It is a holiday today and very quiet here. The hotel is also quiet, which is wierd for them... normally it runs 100% full, but not over Easter!

The rain has stopped and the mountains are clearing out. I plan on going for a quick walk to the lake after...

the Michael Jackson Trial Reenactments! SkyNews has them at 9:30a and 2:30p every day, and they are hilarious. I am sad that I have no capability for recording them.

Click here to see the actor playing MJ: http://static.sky.com/images/pictures/1278922.jpg


Too scary, even his nose is wierd.

Anyways, gotta finish breakfast and start packing. A busy day ahead, I'm a GOIN' HOME!

Zurich

My last night here and it is raining.

I had the afternoon off today, I went shopping and toured this lovely city. Bahnhofstrasse is wonderful, a long collection of stores and very cute shops and cafés along old winding streets just adjacent. Across the river is the old town section, also cute.

Lunch was at this shop that had a small and delicious lunch counter in the front but was a butcher and cheese shop in the back. I didn't understand the conversation, but obviously a street lady popped in... she was either drunk or on medication, clean but very odd. The woman behind the counter was pleasant and knew her, gave her an Easter egg for her bag but then she started talking to the customers. She was a "regular", a local but a bit off. Strange.

It's a thunderstorm now... lightning and thunder just went off. Cool!

The lake and mountains have been shrouded in mist since I arrived, how sad not to see them. Oh well. Maybe the rain will clear the air for tomorrow before I leave.

It was interesting, I was shopping and literally at 5pm all the shops closed up for the Easter holiday weekend. Switzerland closes up for Friday and Monday which are national holidays. Suddenly the streets were empty of people but full of cars getting out of town, and the bars were PACKED with people having an after work drink before heading home for vacation.

I headed back to the hotel, said goodbye to the staff and scurried upstairs. I had a conference call for work and am now just watching tv, ordered room service, will have a bath and go to bed... leave for the airport at 11:30am...

Next stop, HOME! Yay!

Zurich

Leaving Paris at 1pm in 70 degree weather was hard, but frankly, I was looking forward to the quiet train ride to Zurich. The fact that a family with a 3 month old was sitting in front of me did not help keep it quiet, but thank God the little one kept quiet most of the way to Lausanne...

France is such a pretty country. All of the rolling hills, small villages with the little church in the town centre. Very serene, I fell asleep during the ride for an hour or so. When we crossed into Switzerland, customs/immigration boarded the train and checked our passports. I wasn't expecting that, and it reminded me of the time many years ago when we were traveling to Berlin from West Germany through East Germany... crossing the border, I remember the border guards with dogs all around the train, and all the scrutiny they gave the passengers as they checked their passports. It felt like an old movie from the 1950s.... this wasn't quite as dramatic, but still reminded me of that situation.

After changing trains (very quickly) in Lausanne, the train crept up the very steep slopes, overlooking Lake Geneva and the alps beyond. The slopes were stepped with vines and tiny houses clinging to the edges as if they were ready to tumble into the lake. The scenery was absolutely gorgeous, but I could not take photos as it was a bit misty and the sun made it very hazy.

The Park Hyatt is a 3-minute taxi ride from the Hauptbonhauf. Very modern, it has a sleek glass exterior and the inside is filled with beautiful wood and modern furnishings, with quite a significant collection of art. They have an art guide in the room and I'll have to look through the hotel. It is really gorgeous, but very euro-modern. Fits the city to a T.

Listened to the MSU-Vermont game on the internet last night, my boyz made it to the Sweet 16 - to play Duke next. It certainly doesn't get any easier. That game is on Friday... by the time that I get on the plane home, I'll know if they made it to the next round. Crossing my fingers!

Off to get ready for a busy day...

Paris

Another gorgeous day. The last two days there has been fog until 11am or so, but this morning the sun is shining and the forecast is 21C/70F. Amazing!

I had a great day yesterday; I slept in until 8:15am, had room service, went to the fitness room for a half hour, then got ready for my day. I went shopping at Printemps and Galleries Lafayette, plus also FNAC to buy some new music. The weather was a bit cooler yesterday (perhaps only 65F), but still sunny and loads of people were out.

It has been funny, I've been speaking French the last two days and I'm surprised at the comfort level that I have. It helps to be in France every year if only to brush it up; my French isn't great by any stretch of the means, but it is not bad, either!

I took the Métro to Chatelet and went to Centre Georges Pompidou, the famous modern art museum built with the structural skeleton on the outside instead of hidden within the walls. Anyways, I saw this interesting exhibit that was written up called "Dionysiac." As per the brochure...

"Dionysiac" explores a stance or sensibility shared by the fourteen artists represented, through works for the most part especially produced for this exhibition. "Dionysiac" assigns a particular relationship between art and life, an affirmation rather than resignation, which is expressed as much through anger and pleasure received through destruction as through excitement of life and flux. Blah blah blah...

A few parts were amusing, a few confusing, a few unpleasant, a few brought up your worst nightmares, and one exhibit was outright offensive. I opted not to wait in line to go into the special room where the exhibit was at -25C. That did not sound like fun at all. One exhibit was truly strange, it was a film about this guy who was dressed like a german tourist - knickers, camera around neck, dorky glasses. He took duct tape and drew two long parallel lines on a sidewalk next to a bus stop and a busy intersection (busy with vehicles, not people). Then he drew an X near the end of the two lines, then he stepped back and looked up. Then the camera peered up to the sky, then back down. The guy would look around him, as if he wanted someone to watch him and wonder what was going to fall from the sky and hit the X. Funny for a while, then dull. NOTHING happened. Wierd. I tried to understand how this related to the theme and I didn't get it.

There was one room called "Shit Plug" which was literally this huge room that looked like an artist gallery filled with oversized butt plugs, some that have been destroyed, dirtied, painted, etc. On two walls were films; one was displaying the artists chopping up plastic pieces (perhaps to melt and make butt plugs) and another were these guys talking about how their jobs were "shitty." I began to realise that as the movie went along, their jobs were literally about cleaning up shit. Unpleasant and offensive, just yucky.

One exhibit was a jukebox with a selection of music, but each CD had only one song, and the CD cover displayed also the name of the artist who chose this song on the CD. You could choose a song and it would play for a minute or so. All kinds of music, nearly all acid rock - much of it German - but it did have a couple selections of Aretha Franklin and Frank Sinatra at the end (strange). You could hear the music all over the exhibit.

For cultural purposes, I am glad I saw the exhibit, I needed to do something to expand the mind. But there was an option to go to an Egyptology exhibit at the Institut du Monde Arabe, and I should have done that instead! Oh well. The book store at Georges Pompidou is incredible and I did buy this cool book called "Event Cities 3" which is all design drawings about special event buildings drawn for certain cities. Very cool.

I came back and was so tired, I just collapsed and fell asleep by 8.30pm. Today, I woke up at 5.30am and couldn't go back to sleep. This is OK because I have to take the train later and will likely rest there. Today I plan on working out, then going for a walk and take a café nearby, then come back and get ready for the train. I leave at 4.30pm for Zurich. Tonight I have a call at 8pm (I think) then I will listen to the MSU-Vermont game on the internet before going to sleep...

Looking forward to a great final day in Paris and to visiting Zurich... haven't been there since 1997... ciao for now!

Paris

Training is done!

A long week. I'm looking forward to this evening, working out and going for a walk, and then waking up late tomorrow and doing some shopping and perhaps a museum. I desperately need a day off when I am well.

Last night I needed to go to the ATM adjacent to the hotel. As I departed and turned the corner, I was confused as to why there were approximately 100 random people hanging out in the street. As I went through them, I realised it was St. Patrick's Day - they were standing in front of Kitty O'Sheas, an Irish bar popular in the area. Unfortunately I was running late for a dinner appt. and could not join in...

Weather today a bit cooler, fog this morning. But still better than all the snow I hear they are getting in Chicago!

Au revoir, à bientôt!

Paris

70F and sunny yesterday!

Weather is supposed to be strangely warm through the week. Took a walk after lunch to the Place de la Concorde, then to Place de la Madeleine and back to the hotel, nice. My room has a balcony overlooking the Place Vendôme, a nice feature in this weather!

Here through Saturday then off to Zurich next week... feeling 100%, bronchitis is finally beat. Hooray!

Hong Kong

Getting better, but still tired.

Today I took the ferry across the harbour to Kowloon and then visited our local offices. I expected the ferry to be like the ferries in the U.S. or the one I just took in Sydney. Uh, no.... it was small and flopped quite significantly in the water (see website for photo). The trip was only 5 minutes long, however, so even in terrible conditions pretty short and manageable. Interesting.

After my meetings, I went shopping. Wow. The shopping... holy smokes. I heard HK was about shopping but I did not realise how blatant it is... just everwhere, especially in Kowloon. I was impressed, very nice and prices were expensive but not SO bad.

Got tired quickly, however, so came back and on the way tried to find a post card.... which was strangely difficult, had to get one in the hotel gift shop. I looked in the Wen Chai area near the hotel, which is all home-fixings (bathroom fixgtures, paint stores, hardware, etc) going south and strip bars going north. Strange.

Took a few pics of what a typical street in Wen Chai looks like on the website.

Back at the hotel and now chilling out before I take off tonight. My flight leaves at 11.45pm, which is a 9.30pm car to the airport. Joy. Next stop... Paris.

Ciao for now!

Hong Kong

I've been so sick, it got scary.

On Friday, I woke up in Perth with severe symptoms that I asked for a doctor to greet me at the hotel on arrival in Hong Kong. I slept the entire flight and when I got to the hotel, the doctor checked me out and said that I had the flu... but that the over-the-counter meds that I was taking were making things severe. I had some new meds and slept 24 hours with few interruptions. Today, I feel much much better - but have lost 10 lbs and a lot of nutrients. It will take weeks to get back to health, still quite weak.

I am now not leaving until Monday night and don't train a class in Paris until Wednesday, so I plan on just trying to take it easy and not risk anything. I may venture out into Hong Kong a bit today, but not far from the hotel and only maybe some simple shopping.

Incredible view from my room of the harbour, skyskrapers and the mountains behind. The view at night is particularly unforgettable.

The last few days in Perth were great, good training courses and I was privileged to get a chance to see some kanagroos up close (photos to come... amazing) and to go on a river sail the last night. Great town, wonderful people and truly beautiful setting.

Perth

I haven't been feeling quite well since I arrived in Perth, and yesterday I fell apart. In the middle of my meetings I started to get the shivers and shakes, and I obviously had a fever - in addition to fighting jet lag!

I went to bed at 2.30pm and my fever kept breaking until about 8pm last night, then I started to feel better. I missed dinner with everyone but they brought back some meds for me which I promptly took and slept again. It must have been the 24 hour flu as I have a few remaining symptoms, not 100% but certainly much, much improved from yesterday. There is nothing scarier than being in a foreign country and very ill... even if it is Australia.

Yesterday it was partly cloudy and 93 degrees, should be cooler today (mid-80s). Unfortunately I will have to catch up on all of the lost time from yesterday. Tomorrow we have a morning sunrise breakfast on the water and Thursday night is a sunset sail... nice!

Off to work...

Perth

What a great city!

Flying over Perth, I was struck with how much it resembles Sacramento. It is relatively flat and arid around it, but the city has a few hills, tons of trees and a river flowing through it. The CBD is located on the river, and up and down both sides of the river are jogging and biking trails. The city is made for the good weather, and it shows.

The flight was 5 hours long, but I worked nearly the entire flight. I was picked up and after checking into the hotel, we went to lunch at a nearby microbrewery located on the river. I had crawfish on a salad (HUGE crawfish, I might add) and after lunch we went for a drive through King's Park. The park is very beautiful, long winding roads bordered by immense eucalyptus trees and many lawns where the townspeople were napping or picnicking. Views of the city are amazing too (see my website for the main photo that I took from the park).

I was dropped off at Hay Street where they have an outdoor shopping area (here they call them malls, but they are outdoors with long awnings to keep the sun away - nothing like in the States). The shopping was amazing, lots and lots of stores and people watching. Strangely, there is one building that looks like it belongs in Innsbruck, Austria, complete with ornate clock and half timbered façade. Regardless, very neat area.

It hit 90 degrees today, so hot that I had to come back to the hotel and just chill out. I had a meeting with my co-workers and now am ready to go to bed... it is hard because I do not want to go to bed too early but I am tired, I did not sleep well last night!

Tomorrow after work they are taking us to dinner in town to apparently a swank restaurant; Tuesday morning we have breakfast on the riverside; Thursday night is a twilight sail on the river. They are taking very good care of us. It is appreciated, I hope I am awake enough to enjoy it!

Nite nite...

Sydney

Wow do I love this city.

I arrived at the hotel and after changing, took the ferry to Manly. Had never done that before - a 30 minute ride, it was beautiful being on the water, the views of the city and Opera House/Harbour Bridge are just incredible. Boats with colourul sails littered the water and the sun was shining! Wonderful.

Arrived in Manly and you walk out of the Quay down a long pedestrian boulevard that is filled with cheesy eateries and cheap surf shops (and a few expensive ones). On the other end is a long beach ringed by pine trees and incredibly beautiful - and probably expensive - condos. Loved it. Lots of kids out surfing, tons of them in fact. See the photos on my website!

I got back and met up with a former colleague of mine who is now at the Park Hyatt Sydney, we had coffee and caught up. He asked me if I planned on seeing the Mardi Gras that night and I muttered... nah, I've seen those before, I just wanted to go to a little Thai restaurant I remembered from my vacation here years ago...

Little did I realise. I didn't make the connection until I neared the Darlinghurst/Paddington area and noticed EVERYBODY walking towards Oxford street. What was going on? Then I realisd... OH MY GOD, THE ONE DAY I AM IN SYDNEY IS FOR THE MARDI GRAS! The world famous Gay/Lesbian Mardi Gras of Sydney, there were easily 1 million people in the streets! It was absolutely hilarious, people in costume all over and visitors stunned... funny.

My favourite float were these three guys dressed up like Fran Drescher and lip synching to the Nanny theme song, on a float that said Sydney -> and Queens -<

There was another funny one of George Bush bashing, too, but I forgot all of it in the chaos. Everyone was hanging out of the bars drinking or just walking around looking at people. It went on and on and on... I finally went back to my room at around 9:30pm because of the jet lag but I was so happy I got a chance to see it. Sadly, no photos because I didn't bring my camera for the parade as I didn't expect one!

Woke up this morning with the sun rising over the Opera House and clear skies... on to Perth now (writing from the Qantas Club at the airport - again, incredibly posh) - it is supposed to be 90 degrees there today!

G'day!
Hilarious!

Auckland International Airport

Arrived at 6:00am Saturday, slept 6 hours on the flight, got some work done and even played some of the inflight video games. Seats were very uncomfortable, however, even in business class, and the amenities didn't include tissues (which ironically I really needed). But the food was good, more than on other flights, and the service was fun - and funny. Overall I feel pretty good, but it is 11:00am yesterday in Chicago so of course I will feel pretty alive. The problem will be Perth... it is still only 3:00am local time when it is 11:00am in Chicago, so I will definitely be having late-in-the-day challenges there.

The guy sitting next to me on the flight reminded me of my friend Nick (you reading, Nick?)... nice guy, I need to email Nick. He is a cargo pilot (Nick is a hotel sales manager) and this guy flies all over the world. Poor guy didn't sleep at all on the flight, he is going to be messed up today!

I love New Zealand so much, I wish I had an extra day here instead of only 3 hours. The airport is under renovation, but the Qantas lounge is very modern and big, reminds me of the Admirals Club lounge in L.A. but smaller. I have always been so disappointed in the Admirals Clubs in South America but they are much nicer so far on this trip... nice, I can get coffee, a snack and do internet/work without much interruption, and it is much more comfortable.

I forgot my hat in Chicago so I bought a hat here at the airport for my stay, in case I need one. I need to figure out what to get Andy and thinking about sending a post card to Sierra, even if I"m only here for 3 hours... nice stores in the airport, but small. Timberland, All Blacks NZ, Duty Free, etc. No McDonalds (thank God!).

Using their computer in their business lounge at Qantas Club to type this because they don't have broadband connection. I will try and figure it out and if not, will have to just work from Sydney.

G'day... next message from the Park Hyatt Sydney!

LAX - Admirals Club Lounge

Boy is this place swank, very modern, spacious and airy. Nice for a change, there is so much space and it is all split up so it stays quiet. They have leather chairs with headphones so you can listen to some prerecorded music, a theatre-style room to watch CNN, a granite bar and various cozy chairs - all overlooking the runways. Cool.

After watching "The Incredibles" on the flight (great flick, I love that movie), I worked for the remainder of the trip. 4 hours went by like THAT! So glad, my flight leaves in 2 hours so I will chill out, have a drink and make my way to the international terminal. Apparently I have to go through Security again, what a pain. I will be working for a while on the flight to Auckland, then eat and sleep for a bit. I plan on not working on the remainder flight from AKL to SYD, so the goal is to work as much on this leg as I can.

Ok, time for a drink... cheers!

Chicago O'Hare Airport

A sunny but cold (30 degrees) day in Chicago....

I'm dreading this flight.

I have a 4 hour flight to Los Angeles, a 3 hour layover, then a 14 1/2 hour flight to Auckland, another 3 hour layover, then a 3 hour flight to Sydney. Spend the day in Sydney, then I have a 5 hour flight to Perth the following day.

Ugh.

There is so much work for me to catch up on, in a way it isn't bad. I plan on organizing the work once I get on the plane into chunks to make sure I get an opportunity to sleep, too. I just hope that there are no delays or I'll go NUTS.

Weather in Sydney is supposed to be 79 degrees but rain on Saturday evening. On Sunday when I arrive in Perth it is supposed to be 84 and partly cloudy. I may just chill out by the pool there, who knows, I need some rest!

The Admirals Club lounge here is impressive, but as a main AA hub I suppose one would expect this. After checking in (!!) you take the elevator to the third floor and there is this massive space, modern, with a full bar and in relatively good condition - even if the decor is a bit stuffy. They also have Wi-Fi which is a nice change because I always have issues logging in at O'Hare. I'm not partaking of the alcohol, however, as I plan on working on the flight.

Ok, signing off for now...

Sao Paulo – Admirals Club Lounge

It is 10.30pm and finally, I’m on my way home. What a week… ending in a quick ride to the airport, only to find it crowded and noisy. I decided to hang out in the Admirals Club lounge – you get free access when you are on International Business class. The lounge has that incredible 1980s airport décor of mauve and grey carpet with rosewood doors and marble… and because it is Friday, it looks like a refugee camp with all the business travelers going home. Yuck. Free drinks, though.

I just adore the Grand Hyatt Sao Paulo. The hotel put me in a suite this time, which was very lovely and spacious. The shower…. OMG the shower. Still the best shower I’ve ever had. Not only is the design pleasing, the rain shower is just at the perfect height for me, and the stall is so spacious. I love this hotel so much! Everyone was very warm and gracious, still the best service I’ve ever had.

This time, I flew into Sao Paulo from Buenos Aires. The airline was TAM, and it was kind of funny. I was not paying attention to the safety video, but when they spoke in English I looked up, and the video was with claymation-style puppets, like the old Thunderbird show or that recent movie Team America! Totally cute. It ends with them spelling out “Have A Nice Flight” in cute block letters. First class was nice service, but during it I decided to look at the in-flight entertainment. OMG, it was an old Star Trek episode, the one when that floating machine gets onto the Enterprise and it follows Captain Kirk to the bridge. Once it gets there, it starts to take control and it zaps Lt. Uhura, she loses her memory and has to learn English all over; Scotty is zapped dead. But not in English, it was in Spanish or Portugese, so I forgot how it ended. HILARIOUS. I wonder who they are marketing to…

Getting to the hotel was a chore. It was a 2-hr ride from the airport, the traffic was incredibly bad. Apparently there was a major storm and it just snarled everything. Once I got there, though, I totally relaxed – time for ME. The only free time that I truly had on the trip, other then the first afternoon in Mendoza (but I worked that night there). I didn’t work at all, went to the health club and then I had a massage at the spa, ending with room service. Dessert was incredible, just a huge hunk of pineapple with coconut sherbet. Simple, boy was it good. Mmmmmm.

For lunch they took me to Eau, which apparently was voted the best hotel restaurant in Brazil. It is French, yummy. For dessert we had the little cookies that are made with chocolate and Earl Grey tea. They were nice enough to send a little box to my room to take with me, very thoughtful. Of course I stole the soaps, they are from the Amazon and just amazing. I’m giving one to my mom.

Buenos Aires: what a great town. I really look forward to going back and checking it out. I saw so little of it! The new hotel will be amazing, I’m totally looking forward to staying in it. The official name is Palacio Duhau Park Hyatt Buenos Aires. Just wonderful. The neatest part of the trip was meeting Christophe again and his wife, who went to school at AFCENT in the Netherlands! Amazingly small world…

Looking forward to being home for a few days before going off to Australia, Hong Kong, Paris, Zurich and Lausanne. Should be fun!

Ok, time to take off soon. This lounge is incredibly cheesy… worst I’ve been to.

Buenos Aires

Wow. What a great city. Vibrant, beautiful buildings and streets, outdoor cafés and shops. It reminds me of a cross between Paris and Madrid, but with a Latin flavour. Neat.

I arrived at the Caesar Park - a hotel that will be our competition - and went for a quick walk. The new Park Hyatt will be just a block from here, and the streets have a neighborhood feel, yet there are high class stores nudged between modern and traditional European-style apartment buildings. Interesting. As I took a walk, I went down this little hallway called Alvear something or other (no, not the Alvear Palace). It was just a line of small shops built into a part of a building, kind of like a small mall. As I walked down, there were antique shops; a very hip and cute coffee shop; a stamp collector; at the end there was a neat outdoor patio and overlooking it a very small hip wine bar playing Eurolounge music, and another exit hallway - down which were a traditional Argentinian store with woolen rugs, etc and across a modern rustic furniture store in the Argentinian style (ie, simple wooden chairs with strong rope in a neat simple design as backing, etc). Neat place.

The Park Hyatt is literally a former palace, nestled between tree lined streets, expensive stores and apartment buildings. Reminds me of the Plaza in some ways how it is situated, although there is no "central park" across the street.

Can't wait to explore more... but bed for now.

Santiago de Chile

This trip has been a whirlwind. I arrived in Mendoza on Sunday. It was cloudy, and I was frustrated as I left my mobile phone in Santiago airport. It is lost! I cannot believe how difficult it is to do business travel without that phone. Luckily, I was able to call AT&T and have it deactivated and a new phone sent to me at home... I will get it once I get back to Chicago this week.

Mendoza is so lovely in the Summer! I love being in the summer in the southern hemisphere, it is February but it is warm! Cloudy in Mendoza and rainy at night... when I left the hotel for the airport, they had gotten enough rain to make the aqueducts completely full of rain water. It was amazing to see, very scary. You can understand the power of fast moving water when you see that. Usually the aqueducts are dry as the area, like the Wine Country of California or Australia, gets little rain.

Arriving in Santiago last night around 8pm was wonderful. The sun sets late this time of year, and it was just going down as I neared the city. The mountains are desert, similar to Arizona, and the setting sun made it just gorgeous. They are nearing completion of a superhigway to the airport and I got through customs-immigration and to the Hyatt in under 45 minutes. Amazing as the airport is far from the city and usually traffic and the construction makes it a 2 hr trip.

The city is so beautiful, glass skyrises, green trees and wide boulevards. It is like a combination of Vancouver and Los Angeles, clean and warm with mountains. Yum! The airport is nice too, new and very modern. Love it.

Now I am off to Buenos Aires, I have never been and am excited to see the city. I get in tonight and will be able to relax a bit, tomorrow is a full day to see the new Park Hyatt under construction and then to set the pricing. Should be good! Off to relax a bit...

Cancun, Mexico

A direct 3-hour 9-minute flight from Chicago, sometimes I wonder if the United States invaded Mexico here. The plane had not a single hispanic passenger (except for one flight attendant) and while waiting in customs line it was all white people. Yet once out of customs, the locals were everywhere looking to take you to your hotel/scuba dive/pyramid tour/adventure excursion/whatever.

Cancun airport is very modern, spacious, air conditioned and relatively nice. It is a shock to the system to exit into the heat - 91 degrees and 90 pct humidity of today. The hotel picked me up in the car and drove me to the hotel, a good 20 minutes along a slip of land and hotel after hotel. Most of the signs are in English, and many of the people walking along the route were Americans. It is like Florida!

The water is very clear and multi-coloured, but much of the beach has eroded due to the near miss of Hurricane Ivan. Work was all day, very tired. Looking forward to getting through the very long next several days... we'll see if I get any sun at all!

Mexico City

Very tired.   The city is very pretty in the area where the hotel is, it is wealthy and actually feels very European with many trees and cafés.   The weather is mild, partly sunny in the low 70s, with no humidity. 

There is a street called "Horacio" which has a park running through the centre of it.   There are pine trees that line the park and it is well manicured, and it goes for what seems like miles.  Just very beautiful.

Lots of nifty book stores and boutiques in the area, as well as the typical expensive stores (Armani, Gucci, Hugo Boss, etc.) that are on the main street.

I will definitely come back to check out the city when I have more time!

 

Villahermosa, Mexico

After two very full days of work, with essentially no free time, last night I took a look at the competitive hotels - and therefore my first look at the city.

Villahermosa is a green city, but largely industrial.   The Hyatt is an older building wedged on a small street off one of the city's two main roads.  Adjacent is another hotel (of obviously lower star quality) and a modern and very tall glass office building.   Across the main road is a beautiful large park with a lagoon and a museum housing some of the famous huge Olmec stone heads (I've seen them on tv before).   I plan on going there today.

The city has another main road that intersects; I can see this road rising above the trees from my window, it is very busy and crosses the city south to north.    Along this other road are some of the main shopping centres - nothing fancy, more like strip malls.    But at least all of the streets are lined by trees which is nice.

From the window of my room, which faces south, I can see the cathedral off in the distance.  I plan on taking a taxi there today to check it and the main plaza out.   But the rest of the city looks industrial and rather unattractive.     Villahermosa is an oil town, the headquarters of Pemex.    Scattered across the horizon are water towers, offfice buildings, radio towers, highway bridges and concrete houses.   

The hotel is very hip.   The rooms are modern, sleek, in cream colours and cherry furniture accented with brick red upholstery and red mexican patterned pillows.    The bathroom is small but has a glass stall with a rain showerhead and beige limestone with red granite vanity.  Surprisingly nice!    The lobby is still traditional but they plan on renovating this during the Fall. 

Today I plan on taking my time relaxing in the room, then going to the park and museum, then off to the cathedral, returning to go work out and then work in my room tonight.    The goal is to RELAX.   I leave for Mexico City tomorrow late morning...

 

Mérida
 
Conversion has gone VERY well, easily, I have budgeted much more time than needed.   The competitive site inspection, day one training and conversion could have all taken place in one – albeit long – day instead of two.   So I’ve taken advantage of the weather and enjoyed the afternoons by the pool and worked in the evenings until late.  
 
Today it has been sunny all day and no rain – for once.   Weather forecast is clear through the week.
 
A couple of funny things that have happened that I forget mentioning:
 
-         Driving back from Chichén Itza in the middle of the Yucatan brush hearing “Born in the U.S.A.” on the radio
-         On my first day orienting with the staff, I asked if anyone at the hotel had met the Pritzkers, the owners of Hyatt Corporation.   Rosario mentioned the closest they ever came was when one of the relatives brought a group of college students every year – from Michigan State University.   I nearly fell over.   She said they come every year and party in Mérida over spring break.
-         The nicest Wal-Mart in the world is just up the street.  It is so inoccuous that at first I didn’t even notice it – which for Wal-Mart is usually impossible.  It is make of limestone and the sign is just carved into the limestone, no tacky blue/white sign.   Inside it is very clean and, although obviously a Wal-Mart, not overstuffed and unpleasant as most of them are.
 
The heat and the humidity here are stifling.   I can’t imagine living in a climate of 90 degrees and 90 percent humidity for month after month.  The heat is ok, but the humidity makes it hard to breathe!
 
More work to do tonight, so I must sign off for now.   A full day of training tomorrow, then I leave for Villahermosa for a full day on Thursday with almost no free time. 
  
 

Chichén Itza
 
“On the immense plain of the northern Yucatan Peninsula, with neither mountains nor rivers to disturb the uniformity of the landscape, among the agaves, thorny bushes and short trees, stands monumental Chichén Itza, one of the most spectacular ceremonial centers in all antiquity.”   - Michelin Green Guide
 
The morning was clear, not a cloud in the sky.   I left for Chichén Itza around 10:30am, and after getting out of Mérida (I had no idea the city was so large, nor that there were so many one way streets) it was a rather uninteresting drive all the way to the ruins.    Rather flat with tall brush all the way there, very green.
 
 “On the immense plain of the northern Yucatan Peninsula, with neither mountains nor rivers to disturb the uniformity of the landscape, among the agaves, thorny bushes and short trees, stands monumental Chichén Itza, one of the most spectacular ceremonial centers in all antiquity.”
 
Nearing the ruins is, of course, a small town where you can eat and are panhandled souvenirs – I can’t tell you how often people came up to me on the street or even at the site saying “one dollar.”   All of the souvenirs were uninteresting and copies, that I saw.
 
There were so many tourists it was unbelieveable.  I was expecting to be disappointed, that the site would be overrun with them.   Well… 
 
After paying the entry fee ($9 US, which I thought was steep for México but obviously worth it), I walked down the long trail to the open yard where stood El Castillo.   To say it was spectacular would be an understatement.   The entire complex is so incredibly spacious that it takes hours to wander through it.   It was incredibly hot – by this time, a little after 12noon and definitely nearing 100 degrees.  I climbed El Castillo and nearly fainted by the top, it is so steep.   I relaxed and surveyed the incredible view – why here?   Chichén Itza is in the middle of the jungle and I am still amazed that anyone would build anything there.
 
It wasn’t spiritual as it was amazing.   The ruins are so complete and in such good condition that you could imagine the priests, priestesses, worshippers doing their daily duties.  Most fascinating was the ball court, which was much more massive than I expected.   The hoop on either side was at least 20 feet off the ground, not easy to get a ball into.   There are murals depicting the winner – or loser? – being decapitated and whose head is in the other’s hands.    Around the corner is the sacrificial altar which has skulls carved into it.   More macabre than I imagined.
 
The sacrifice well was very, very large, and I’m surprised that any civilization could have carved this out.   It was about the size of a large house, and apparently very deep.    I have pictures so check them out…
 
I spent over 3 hours wandering the site and just taking it all in, despite the heat.  I would have gone inside El Castillo but it was too hot to wait in line, and I wanted to beat the potential rain.   I did purchase a souvenir from someone I saw carving a totem, the only one who wasn’t trying to hock souvenirs for $1.   It cost me 100 pesos, about $9.   He was very appreciative and much more reserved than the other 90 young men trying to sell to me, and the fact that he was actually making them made me feel like I had something that wasn’t a machine copy, so I felt that experience was worth it.
 
The ride home was uneventful, and now as I recount the day’s events, a heavy storm has rolled in from the southeast.   The wind is incredibly heavy, and although it is only 6.30pm, it looks like night.   All of the trees are bending in the wind and even the windows in my hotel are bending slightly, the wind is loud enough to hear through the windows.    I think I’ll eat my dinner and watch the world fall apart… 
  
  
 

Mérida
 
Last night, I wandered the streets of Mérida as the rain subsided.   Paseo Montejo is a large tree lined boulevard with wide sidewalks and huge mansions – spectacularly beautiful, the mansions reminded me of New Orleans.   Not all of them are homes; in fact, Mexicana, ING and many restaurants take up shop in these former homes. 
 
At the end of the plaza was a little street festival called “Noche Mexicana.”  It was very charming with traditional musicians and dancers on stage, and beyond the seating were several booths with handicrafts, food and drink.  I had the best tostada I have ever had there, they must have deep fried the shell for a year it tasted so good.    I went to bed early, however, as I have a busy day ahead! 
 

Mérida, Mexico
 
This is the “capital” of the Yucatan, an old town that is the gateway to the Mayan culture.   To get here, you have to fly either through Mexico City or Cancun – on this trip, it was Mexico City.
 
The good part of the trip – no delays, I slept part way to Mexico City and nearly the entire way from Mexico City to Merida, and I was greeted at the airport and arrived quickly.
 
The bad part of the trip – screaming baby for at least half of the way to Mexico City; the Aeromexico gates for the flights to Merida were all together, and it made Southwest look organized and luxurious – I’ve never seen so many masses of people crowded in such a small space; it has rained nonstop since I arrived; and the hotel is average, a better fit compared to our hotels in the USA.
 
That being said, there seems to be a great deal of organization here about the Mayan culture and lots to do in Merida.  The staff gave me a great guide that says what is going on nightly, and tonight there is a traditional Mexican party happening in the centre of town.   As the rain seems to have subsided (perhaps only briefly), I think I will head down there.
 
Because it was raining, I went to OXXO (the Mexican 7-11) across the street and got some Sol beer and some chips to snack on to wait the weather out.   I was horrified to see at the Fiesta Americana next door is a Chili’s restaurant.  
 
Many more Americans here than I expected, about 10-15% of the flight here and there are many in the hotel.   It’s a weekend, so perhaps everyone is touring the Mayan ruins.  I guess I will find out tomorrow!
 
The airport is the nicest I’ve seen in Mexico.  It is small, but clean and I think relatively new.   Modern, good lighting, no trash or peeling paint.

Chicago

What an incredible city is Santiago.

On my last day in town, I took the day off and toured the city. I took the metro - only two years old, very clean and only C$320 (around 40 cents) one way - to the Centro. There, I went on a tour to...

La Maneda: home of the presidency, beautiful and well guarded
Museum of PreColumbian History: not huge, but some incredible artifacts
Place de los Armes: as usual, a beautiful Plaza with many old buildings and a bandshell
Mercado Central: market similar to those in Madrid, with restaurants, vegetables, fish
Bellavista: bohemian neighborhood with many art galleries and restaurants

At Place de los Armes, a concert was going on in the bandshell. The Santiago Instrumental Orchestra was playing a medley of Abba hits, which was a little unexpected but not bad.

Mercado Central is a cross between a flea market and an eatery, similar to Madrid's markets but also with a CampdenTown fleamarket built in. All the merchants kept trying to persuade me to eat at their restaurants, it got old so I left. When you cross the river, the flea market continues. Lots of produce and meats and nuts and fish as well as tshirts, pottery, incense, etc. It was cheap and I just made my way down the river until I got to the heart of Bellavista...

Bellavista is a colourful area, all the houses are painted different colours. Just beautiful, big trees. There are many neat restaurants and my full lunch with wine at one of th nicer places was C$9500, or US$15. Along Avendia Bellavista are many lapis lazuli vendors. The stone is indigenous to Chile and after a while you get bored seeing it, but it was neat to see all the vendors.

I then took the metro back to Las Condes - the very modern district where the Hyatt is - and went to Pune. It is such an incredible store, and I got my gifts there. Then I took a cab back, packed and headed home.

An incredible city... can't wait to go back. Beautiful, clean, great weather, safe...

Santiago

Last night I finally had some free time. The weather has been spectacular - the smog has been greatly reduced, and the sun is shining getting to a high of about 60 degrees. Incredible.

I walked up the street to a local shopping mall and it was like... a shopping mall. This country is so modern it is astonishing. They had a Laura Ashley, Polo Ralph Lauren, Hugo Boss, two Dunkin Donuts, a McDonalds, as well as some European brands - Zara, NRG, Lush, etc - on top of two department stores, a Carrefour (French grocery store) and a zillion cell phone stores. Chile may be far away, but it is certainly the most modern and safe place I've been to on my travels to Latin America so far.

The park is adjacent to this mall, so I walked up and looked at the incredible mountains as the sun started to fade. They are so HUGE. You can't miss them anywhere. It is like San Francisco being built on the edge of the Sierras, but the Sierras are 20,000 feet tall.

I walked through some of the adjacent streets to get a feeling for the neighborhood here. I am in "Las Condes" which, as I see on a map, is on the outer edge of the city. Modern, safe, everyone has cars and there are many high rise condo buildings.

Today I plan on taking the metro to the old town, then to an area called BellaVista across the river which is apparently very picturesque. I will then backtrack and go to Los Domenicos, which is a trade area with Chilean goods. Marcela, one of my colleagues here, took me to a very upscale store with nice Chilean things and if I can't find anything I like in Los Domenicos, I will go back there. My flight is at 8:30pm, so I better boogie...

Adios!

Hyatt Regency Santiago

A long week.

Santiago is an amazing city. I've only spent time at the Hyatt, with a little time at a local restaurant for dinner last night. But its appearance is a cross between Vancouver and Los Angeles. Vancouver for the modern buildings, green parks, and huge mountains literally adjacent to the city. Los Angeles for the smog, traffic and weather. Difference: the mountains are 20,000 feet tall and population is smaller than Los Angeles.

They have a drink here called Pisco Sour which is kind of like a liquor lemonade, very very good and not too sweet or tart. Very yummy. Last night at dinner I had a red wine known as "Carmenere" which apparently was brought from France to Chile, but was destroyed by a virus about 10 years ago. It now only exists in Chile and is a cross between a Merlot and a Cabernet Sauvignon. Delicious. For lunch I had the "Pastel de choclo" - a corn pie, which is a Chilean specialty. It is basically red meat, chicken, mushroom, onion and olives topped with corn bread and cooked in a crock. Delicious but quite heavy. Food and drinks: very good here!

The Hyatt Regency is a spectacular circular glass building with a floor to ceiling atrium that is 20 stories tall; there is also a rather vast garden and pool area behind it that makes it look like a resort, it is beautifully manicured. Neat hotel - the planned renovation will be spectacular, I saw the new rooms and they will be sleek, modern and simple. Love it.

I am fading fast. The weather is supposed to be good the rest of the days, and I get tomorrow afternoon and all day Friday to myself before I return to Chicago. I definitely want to come back here on vacation!

Santiago

Longest flight in history. Check this out:

Sat 14.00 hrs - arrive O'Hare Airport
Sat 14.10 hrs - check in and get to gate G23
Sat 15.00 hrs - gate change across airport to gate H18
Sat 16.00 hrs - flight delayed 1 1/2 hrs from 16.30 departure to 17.45 due to "weather"
Sat 18.00 hrs - flight departs for Dallas
Sat 20.15 hrs - flight arrives; flight to Santiago delayed until 22.10 departure
Sat 21.30 hrs - board plane
Sat 22.30 hrs - plane has malfunctioning fuel gauge
Sat 23.45 hrs - plane departs 1 1/2 hrs late
Sun 09.00 hrs - arrive in Santiago area, but smog; told we would circle for 45 mins
Sun 10.15 hrs - running out of gas, diverted to Mendoza, Argentina
Sun 11.30 hrs - land in Mendoza; refueling and checking weather in Santiago
Sun 11.45 hrs - told weather would not clear for 1 1/2 hrs; required to wait on plane
Sun 13.00 hrs - weather worsened; must stay in Argentina; airline talking to immigration
Sun 13.15 hrs - called Park Hyatt Mendoza, made reservation
Sun 14.00 hrs - still waiting for bus to terminal
Sun 14.30 hrs - in terminal, waiting to clear immigration; must return at 06.30 next day
Sun 15.00 hrs - arrive at Park Hyatt Mendoza
Mon 05.30 hrs - wake up
Mon 06.35 hrs - arrive at Mendoza Airport
Mon 07.35 hrs - flight crew arrives (!)
Mon 08.40 hrs - board plane
Mon 09.45 hrs - departure delayed due to unknown immigration problem on board
Mon 10.00 hrs - depart Mendoza
Mon 11.15 hrs - arrive Santiago
Mon 11.55 hrs - arrive Hyatt Regency Santiago

You count the hours. Long ass travel.

Good news: Mendoza as beautiful and wonderful as ever. Park Hyatt very accommodating. Santiago is warm, clear weather, city is very modern - similar to Vancouver but with 20,000 foot mountains. Long day of work today, work all week. Delayed return until Friday night so that I can see the city on Friday. More on it on Wednesday once I have energy!

Acapulco

A very cloudy morning. I don't think I'll get a chance to get much if any sun. I'll be the whitest person ever to leave Acapulco!

Schedule for today:

08.00 wake up!
08.30 go to health club
09.30 have breakfast
10.00 work on remaining outstanding items
11.00 go downstairs and check on things
12.00 begin packing for departure, post card for my niece, work
14.00 depart

hopefully there will be opportunity for some sun in between all of this!

Acapulco

Been in Acapulco for three days now. I've been working incredibly hard, it has not gone so well, but it is nearly over. Vacation starts tomorrow in California!

Weather has been sunny in the morning, rain late morning to early afternoon, then sun afternoon into the evening. Tomorrow I plan on going to the gym, then sitting in some sun and doing some final work before I leave for the airport around 1pm. The airport here is PINK. Very strange.

Ran into Julie Coker, the General Manager at the Hyatt Lodge in Oakbrook, yesterday at the pool. It was funny to see a familiar face so far away from home!

Humid night.... back to work.