My JotSpot Wiki will soon go away, so am converting what little contents I had to this Blog.
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This Wiki will be used to catalog my miscellaneous (non-work related) travel details as I travel through South East Asia. My trip will consist of visiting Vietnam, Thailand, Bangladesh and finally India. This is my first attempt at using a Wiki and this trip gave me a purpose to test one out.
November 29, 2005
Departed Newark International airport at 1:50 p.m., an hour and 40 minutes later than scheduled, for Beijing China. The delay was caused by two issues: 1)The air conditioning was not working in the back of the plane. 2)A passenger got sick before we took off. The passenger who got sick was sitting two rows behind me, it was interesting to see how the flight attendants tackled the situation. We were already on the runway, and we needed to stop and wait for a decision from the pilots on whether to continue on the flight or not. Given the flight is approximately 13 hours, the pilots decided to turn back and get the passenger help. This was a wise decision.
I arrived in Beijing over an hour and 15 minutes later than scheduled, this was a problem for me because I was expected to connect with a flight to Guangzhou and then Hanoi within 45 minutes of landing. After going through immigration and customs, I had very little time left to make my flight, and I was already scouting out a place to sleep in the airport. When all felt lost I was approached by an airport employee who noticed my predicament and she immediately began to take steps. She had a two-way radio and begin to make numerous calls. I remained calm and put my trust in her. After I finally got through immigration, she told me to run and follow her. I did and then met another person at the gate entry to the flight for Guangzhou, and she told me to run and follow her. After talking to other staff members at the gate, I was permitted in and was able to make my flight. I am grateful to the two individuals in Beijing International Airport for helping me get my flight.
November 30, 2005
Arriving in Hanoi, Vietnam at 11:50 p.m. November 30, 2005 threw me way off. It is as though I lost a whole day with the time difference. In fact it is. The time difference is 12 hours, but tack on the additional 18 hours of air travel and you got more than a day.
The hotel I'm staying at is the Sofitel in Hanoi. It is amazing and perhaps the best and most elegant hotel I have ever stayed in. I immediately noticed a difference when I entered the hotel, customer service is number 1 and that hits you fast. Smiling and hospitality is everywhere....
The temperature in Hanoi at this time of year is pleasant, the air is moist, but their is a slight breeze and you can certainly wear long pants and shirts. At the office, the windows and doors are left open and you get a feeling you are working outdoors, what a change. My skin has never felt better. Looking outside my hotel and office, the one thing that really sticks in my mind is the constant moving of motor bikes through the streets. Nobody is speeding, and there is certainly no yelling going on...although lots of beeping to warn other drivers you are coming through. The car is certainly the minority on the roads. I was told pedal bikes were the norm up to about 10 years ago, but that slowly began to change to the scooters and motorcycles. I would see up to 3 people on a motorbikes, a whole family. Helmets are not very popular here.
I walked around the streets near the office among the locals and felt very comfortable. I was expecting some locals to approach me to ask me to buy something, especially since there are many, many, small shops nearby selling everything from cell phones to motorbikes. Fruits and vegetables were being sold on bicycles. The local people did not even really stare at me. My feeling was that I stuck out in a crowd, but perhaps not to them, and even if I did, it didn't make a difference.
Lasting memory: The smile and the nod. Puh. It is a soup that is a meal. It is delicious, and you get all these spices and sauces that you can dip the noodles, vegetables and meats in. It takes you a while to eat it, and I don't think it is something you can rush.
That is it from Hanoi, next stop Bangkok, Thailand.
December 3, 2005
The flight from from Hanoi to Bangkok is only about 90 minutes, which was a delight after the long haul from North America to South East Asia. Service on Air Thai was great, wine offered by default with your meal. Not accustomed to meals on such short flights anymore, since you normally only getting a snack these days.
Stepping off the plane in Bangkok the first thing I noticed is the temperature, it is hot and not too humid, and I'm told it is Winter here now. To me it felt a bit like Miami in July.
Show your feet. As I walked around Bangkok over the weekend I could not help but notice that I was different when you looked at the ground. The majority of people here were sandals or flip-flops. I don't own a pair, but am thinking of buying one. It is very important to take your shoes off, I noticed that when entering a pool area or when at the hotel, the cleaning service or food service enter your room, they always remove their shows. It sure does keep the floors awfully clean.
Every morning when I wake up I notice the streets are wet, but I don't believe it has rained. I'm starting to wonder if the streets are cleaned with water nightly.
We are all the same. Yesterday I noticed a baby crying. The parent attempted to calm the baby, but the approach wasn't working, so the parent took the child to the street to watch the moving cars. I can't tell you how many times my wife and mother-in-law has done that and I didn't think twice about it. Distraction works in these situations and apparently it is the same with children in different parts of the world.
The winning team is following me. The South East Asia games are taking place during my visit here. While in Vietnam I witnessed the country soccer team beat Malaysia in the semi-finals. There was quite a celebration in the streets, thousands of motorbikes and scooters riding through the street beeping and waving flags, this went on for several hours and caused traffic jams. Well, Vietnam was to face Thailand for the final game. While in Thailand, I witnessed the country soccer team beat Vietnam to win the South East Asia game in soccer.
There is an abundant number of street food vendors selling everything from cooked fish to fruits. The fruits here are wonderful in color and flavor, some that I have never seen before. No need to bring your lunch to work either, I asked whether people do this and was told they generally do not. I can understand, with all the food available for reasonable prices why bother. I suspect that Tupperware isn't all that popular here.
I had to look pretty hard to find a local person overweight. I know I have to lose a few pounds, but being here I feel that I'm even overweight. The police and traffic/transportation attendants are very slim and their uniforms are tight to their bodies. I'm wondering if this is a requirement.
Visited two temples while I stayed in Bangkok. I could not stop looking at the monks as they sit on the floor with their legs crossed and their thighs perfectly parallel to the ground. I attempted to sit the way they were and could not get even 50% as close as their were to the floor with their legs.
Lasting memory: Again, the wonderful smile. Helps you to feel good and encourages you to be as polite as possible. Foot massages. To me at least, it appears that a foot massage parlor exists on practically every street. I was thinking of trying one out, but decided not to, I just couldn't get the nerve to do it. Lemon grass.
That is it from Thailand, next stop Dhaka, Bangladesh.
December 8, 2005
Arrived in Dhaka around noon on December 8, 2005. The weather is warm and a bit overcast. The flight from Bangkok took about 2 hours.
I'm starting to get comfortable living out of a suitcase. In Hanoi, I unpacked most of the items from my suitcase and placed them in the closets or dressers. I'm not longer doing that and just leaving my clothes in the suitcase. I've been using plastic bags to keep pants and shirts from getting wrinkled, something suggested by my wife and it is working OK.
The first thing I noticed in Dhaka is the bicycle rickshaw. It is probably more popular than the car here. I compare it to
the motorbikes of Hanoi. I can't believe that the people peddling these bikes can pull 2-3 people, pull many bags of rice, or even steel rods. I've been told they cause many of the traffic jams. Oh yea, traffic is universal I think. I've run into it in each country so far.
The three wheel taxi/motorbike is also popular here. Interesting to note that most of the cars and taxis have been converted to CNG (compressed natural gas). This is great to help reduce the emissions.
I was told and read in the paper that Bill Gates came to Dhaka during my stay here. He was here to help promote Information Technology training and was making available money to aid the industry. I'm not 100% sure, but he is very interested in training people for programming positions. The thought is that Bangladesh is an area that is about to really advance with regard to Information Technology. That would be great, since getting high speed internet connections are tough to come by here. Same was true in Vietnam and Thailand about 1-2 years ago, although now it is easier to get the high speed connections when these countries introduced ADSL. Hope this migrates to Bangladesh as well.
Orange juice is orange juice, right? That is what I thought, but now that I've been to three countries in SEA, and I have experienced vast differences in the juice. The orange juice has been different in every country. Don't get me wrong, the juice has been delicious in each place, although the taste has been different. In Hanoi, the juice was almost leaning towards red-orange in color, and was very clear of pulp and tasted great. In Bangkok, the juice was a deep orange color, no pulp and was good. Just not as sweet as in Hanoi. In Dhaka, the juice was orange in color and a bit more tart than the other places. Ever had watermelon juice? I never did before this trip, it is awesome.
Chicken and rice Bangladesh style. My wife is Cuban and occasionally I have the typical Cuban plate of chicken and rice. It is good, not spicy, and does not have a very powerful flavor. Well, during my stay in Dhaka, I had a typical Bangli dish of yellow rice and chicken. It was very good, with a spicy flavor. I haven't mentioned this yet, but spicy food appears to be the norm in all three countries I have visited so far. In fact, when I have eaten with other locals here they specifically ordered the food less spicy and it was still a little too spicy for my taste. I always say I love spicy food, but am getting a lesson on what real spicy is. I wonder if spicy food is good to prevent certain illnesses or cancer. You know how there is talk about dark colored fruits, like Concord grapes, preventing certain cancers. I'm sure a study has been done somewhere about this.
On my last day in Dhaka I rode the elevator with members of the Sri Lankan cricket team. Those in the U.S. may not think this is a big deal, but over here cricket is big stuff. It is extremely popular.
Lasting memory: The way the men working as drivers on the bicycle rickshaws could pull so much weight. In some cases they were not even wearing shoes. The rickshaws were sometimes painted in beautiful colors and I was told that on the back of the passenger seat there is now advertising. I took plenty of photos of just the bikes.
That is it from Dhaka, next and last stop, New Delhi, India.
December 10, 2005
Arrived in New Delhi at around 6:30 p.m., on-time and I was told I was lucky. Sometimes there are serious delays from the Dhaka airport. The airport security was extremely tight, there has been some unrest in the country with suicide bombings. Just to get to the airplane I was through 4 security checkpoints where security checked my carry-on bag and body. The process was to go through once at the entrance, followed by a second check right after the first. I assumed this was for double checking. Again, at the gate entrance I went through security twice. A passenger next to me had a toy car and had to prove it was a toy, by taking the batteries out.
I will no longer purchase anything at the Duty Free shops. I have done this twice and twice I left the items on the plane, I just forget about it. I guess getting all worked up for arrival just messes me up. Two boxes of chocolates, local Bangladesh gum and Mango chews were left. I hope someone was able to enjoy them.
Sports seem to be something following me on this trip. Yesterday Sachin Tendulkar broke the world record of 34 centuries in Test cricket, he scored 35. This is really big news over here. So big that it was breaking news on every Indian news channel.
I love the traditional dress on both men and women here. The colors and details are so beautiful and I can understand why the traditional dress is still popular.
My stay in New Delhi includes a weekend, which gives me a little time to sight see. On Saturday I visited several sites, one being the
BahaI? House of Worship and another called Humayum Tomb.
The
BahaI? House of Worship is really neat to look at. The building is inspired by the lotus, a beautiful flower that associated with religion in India. There exist seven of these houses of
worship in the world, each with its own design, there is one in the US. This place invites people of all religions and races. No need for air conditioning here, the floors and seats are made of marble. You need to take your shoes off before you enter, so the cool floor resonates through your body to keep you cool. Also, the house of worship is surrounded by 9 pools to help cool the air.
Humayun's Tomb is believed to have been designed by his widow, his senior wife. Its plan is said to have inspired the Taj Mahal and many later Muhgal tombs. The color of the tomb is rose and has really kept the color over all these years. It was built in the 16th century and Humayun was the 2nd Muhgal emperor. A tomb was even built for his barber, at least that is what the tour guide told me. The tour guide took me to one of the tombs, there like a lot of people in tombs here, his whole family I believe, to show me bats. We walked into one of the tombs, past one room into another and when he opened the door I seen thousands of bats on the wall. He told me to go in, I stayed at the door entry as I got spooked.
Still can't get used to driving on the left side of the road, this is the norm in Thailand, Bangladesh and India. The drivers sit in the right side of the car, that is if you are sitting inside the vehicle. This change extends to even walking lanes, I'm accustomed to staying to the right when walking, but here you should stay to the left. There is a history to why people drive on the left side of the road.
I've learned today that school for children starts at age 3, rather than the age of 5 I'm accustomed to in the U.S. With this, students finish primary school by the age of 16.
Had Chinese food India style yesterday. It is different in that as you may have guessed it is spicier than that in N.Y.
What a memory! I only stayed in New Delhi four days, and I was amazed that the hotel employees knew my name when I occasionally asked questions. The hotel must accommodate about 400 guests and I wondered if they knew each guests name. If they did, they should box that quality up in a book! Although, if they did publish their secret, a secret it would be no more.
Lasting memory: A guest is considered a visit from God. What a feeling! I had a chance to have dinner at a colleagues home during my stay in New Delhi. I don't think I have ever felt so special in my life. There were about 15 people who joined for the dinner and it was awesome. The food was tasty and plentiful, and in typical Indian style. When I expressed that the dinner was quite exemplary, I was told "a guest is considered a visit from God in India".
That is it from South East Asia, next stop Newark, NJ. Although this trip wasn't long in duration of time, it was the longest I have been away from my wife and kids and I started to feel the pain towards the end. Each experience in life aids in building who you are and this trip was no exception. As a result of this trip, I will not look at the world the same, and I hope to continue to change the way I look at it.
September 13, 2008
Okay, it has been a really long time since I added anything to this Blog, but better late than never!
Since my last entries, I have traveled to Africa twice, this is my second trip. The good thing is that I have traveled to some of the same places and can comment on the changes I have seen. Back in 2007, I travled to Cape Town, Durban and Johannesburg. On this trip, I have traveled to Cape Town and Johannesburg.
I'm writing from Johannesburg, South Africa. I arrived in Cape Town on September 7, for those who think it is always hot in Africa, think again. It is now nearing the end of Winter in this part of the world and I have to tell you it was/is colder than I expected. When I arrived the temperature was around 50 degrees fahrenheit. Cold, right? Go figure, this time when traveling I decided to pack very light and did not include any heavy garments, so I had to go out and buy a sweater.
The last time I visited Cape Town was back in February of 2007, it was much warmer then and I can still remember all the construction I noticed as I arrived at the airport. Well, much of the construction at the airport is coming to an end. You see much of the constructed is being triggered by the fact that South Africa will host the soccer World Cup in 2010. This is big news here! I think it is great for South Africa and to see all the many jobs the World Cup has created. This gives South Africa a chance to prove it can host large scaled world class events. The same goes for the city, lots of construction of new hotels, roads, and yes, a new soccer stadium.
On this trip I finally realized something and focused on it. People drive on the left hand side of the road here, as compared to the right side in the US. Sounds simple right? Well, driving on the left also means that when walking down a street or at a shopping center, you stay to the left, rather than the right. I can't tell you how many times I ran into folks because I didn't adjust quick enough. Oh yea, escalators, same deal, up on the left, down on the right, reverse of what I expect. And, get this, hot/cold water, hot to the right, cold to the left. Opposite of what I expect, but follows the principle of driving on the left hand side of the road. Drivers sit on the right hand side, great for lefties who could finally use their left hand to shift gears!In my line of work, Information Technology, we often talk about standards and that keeping a standard enforces efficiency. However, think about the car manufacturers and water faucet manufacturers, they have to design for the fact that left and right mean different things in different parts of the world.
Anyway, it has been great to see South Africa advance, or at least grow from an infrastructure standpoint in just over 19 months! I just wish I could be here for the World Cup - you can bet I'll be watching on TV and will be able to see I was there when all the construction was happening, and enjoyed how the local people feel so excited about it as well!
2. Our Council office in India invited our Information Technology group to a Dawali celebration! Dawali is one of the most popular Hindu festivals and is also called the "Festival of Lights". We enjoyed lots of fresh hanging flowers, and many, many lit candles and of course, excellent food - many of the sweet variety. 
All in all, a day where I had to stop myself and say "Wow", what a day with many special feelings.
