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!