Oh where to eat where to eat? I've got 3 hungries just looking at all the places I want to go while in NYC! I suppose I will have plenty of time to explore once I move there, so maybe this weekend will be an opportunity to visit some "old haunts" and some I've been curious about for a while. On my list so far...
Breakfast/Brunch at Balthazar. I still dream about the Frisee Aux Lardons with the runny egg on top. Sadly it's not available on the breakfast or brunch menus, but at this point I'll settle for anything, like the basket of pastries or duck confit. Oh wait, we're talking breakfast here. Maybe we'll have to do lunch. :) Yummmm, the world needs more places like Balthazar.
Spanish wine and snacks at Bar Jamon. I have some good memories here that I don't necessarily intend to recreate, I just want some good Spanish wines and ham ham ham! It's such a cozy place to hang out with your lover. Last time I was there, they were playing Arcade Fire too. Can't go wrong with that.
Tapas at Pipa in ABC Carpet & Home. I remember this place being good, but can probably skip it this time around. We'll see...too many others to choose from!
Italian at Lupa Osteria Romana. I've never been to a Batali restaurant despite it being on my list everytime I go to NYC. This one is actually somewhat affordable and still gets decent reviews so a definite maybe.
Nook in Hell's Kitchen. Haven't been here, but I've read it's inexpensive, tiny/cozy/romantic, and BYOB. I have really really high hopes for Nook.
Casellula Wine & Cheese for wine, cheese, and other snacks. Haven't been here either but very excited for this one!
Momofuku Ssam Bar for superdeliciousness that defies definition and a shout out to a UT alum. I think B will like this place even if it looks all trendster and chichi.
Okay that's a good start I think. I'll keep adding to the list as I come across restos I want to try!
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Sing Along With Me
Okay, so technically I'm not leaving today, I'm leaving Thursday. And I won't be moving there quite yet, this is just a weekend trip to see B and scout out some neighborhoods, but I can still get excited about it. So warm up the pipes and follow the bouncing ball...
Start spreading the news, I'm leaving today
I want to be a part of it - New York, New York
These vagabond shoes, are longing to stray
Right through the very heart of it - New York, New York
I wanna wake up in a city, that doesn't sleep
And find I'm king of the hill - top of the heap
These little town blues, are melting away
Ill make a brand new start of it - in old New York
If I can make it there, Ill make it anywhere
Its up to you - New York, New York
I want to be a part of it - New York, New York
These vagabond shoes, are longing to stray
Right through the very heart of it - New York, New York
I wanna wake up in a city, that doesn't sleep
And find I'm king of the hill - top of the heap
These little town blues, are melting away
Ill make a brand new start of it - in old New York
If I can make it there, Ill make it anywhere
Its up to you - New York, New York
Saturday, March 28, 2009
April 15 is more than just tax day
Argh, it's that time of year again...when I have to look at my paltry earnings and ridiculous taxes and hope that I get something back. This is probably the best that I'll have it what with tuition credits, practically no earnings, and no state tax! Yay Texas! But it's still a pain in the butt and I thought I was being smart by converting my traditional IRA to a Roth, but that's causing tax-time anxiety for little ole me.
I won't divulge the other reason April 15 is important, but it holds significance for me so it's not all doom and gloom time. Alas, when it's all said and done, I'm still expecting a little sumpin' sumpin' back from Uncle Sam. One step closer to those Stuart Weitzman's I'm coveting...
I won't divulge the other reason April 15 is important, but it holds significance for me so it's not all doom and gloom time. Alas, when it's all said and done, I'm still expecting a little sumpin' sumpin' back from Uncle Sam. One step closer to those Stuart Weitzman's I'm coveting...
Friday, March 27, 2009
Girls Night Out
My friend SA and I like to do MBA-free nights on Thursdays. This usually includes happy hour at SoCo Cafe for their incredible mojitos which are only $3.50 from 2-7pm! And then a quick stumble across the street to Home Slice Pizza, my favorite NY style pizza in Austin. Sometimes we invite others to join us, and sometimes it's just the two of us, but it's always a fun time catching up, venting about the week, and having girls' night out.
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Getting excited!
Now that Global is over and I'm down to 4 classes, I can feel the end of my MBA experience drawing closer. It's kind of a sad time for me, hard to get my head around all of the personal growth and changes that have taken place in a very very short 2 years. Thinking about all the friends I've made here scattering to distant places and wondering who I'll end up keeping in touch with. I'll also miss the freedom and flexibility that comes along with being a student. Oh yeah, and Tex Mex. I'll definitely miss Tex Mex!
But it's also an exciting time, a new chapter in my life. B and I have started looking at apartments and I'll be flying out to NY next weekend to explore neighborhoods and spend some time together. Downtown, midtown, east side, west? Oh my, so many choices. And we want to stick to a reasonable budget which seems nearly impossible in Manhattan, but I figure if we're gonna live in NY, live in NY, right?
View Larger Map
Now if only I could get over this jet lag! 3am wake-up calls are brutal and don't do much for "getting back into the swing of things". The only thing that keeps me going is that I'm already halfway through my week and then just one more week before seeing B. Yay!!!
But it's also an exciting time, a new chapter in my life. B and I have started looking at apartments and I'll be flying out to NY next weekend to explore neighborhoods and spend some time together. Downtown, midtown, east side, west? Oh my, so many choices. And we want to stick to a reasonable budget which seems nearly impossible in Manhattan, but I figure if we're gonna live in NY, live in NY, right?
View Larger Map
Now if only I could get over this jet lag! 3am wake-up calls are brutal and don't do much for "getting back into the swing of things". The only thing that keeps me going is that I'm already halfway through my week and then just one more week before seeing B. Yay!!!
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
The Doctor Is In
Well, not really. After waiting 45 minutes in the examining room I was really starting to wonder if I was going to be seen. All that waiting for just a little peace of mind that involved the doctor informing me that no, it wasn't malaria and no, it wasn't bird flu, and no, I didn't need to be quarantined. In fact, I didn't even need medicine. My body is perfectly healthy and my immune system was effectively fighting off some sort of virus and she shooed me out of the room faster than a speeding bullet! Sure enough, my sore throat disappeared that day. I suppose I should be thankful, but a little sympathy would have been nice.
Monday, March 23, 2009
Home Sweet Home
Almost exactly 2 weeks after the start of this journey I was back on a plane heading stateside.
Bangkok --> Tokyo (5 hours, 45 minutes)
Tokyo --> Chicago (11 hours, 40 minutes)
Chicago --> Austin (2 hours, 45 minutes)
I was able to switch seats with a nice Japanese man so that I could sit next to BO for both the BKK and NRT flights. Always nice to have someone to talk to on long hauls especially when you discover that they are offering up the EXACT SAME entertainment lineup. Disappointing! I mean really, how many times can you watch Madagascar 2?
Yes, more griping...So I ask you, if you're an airline and you know that all international flights will require U.S. passengers to pass through customs and recheck bags on transfers, why in the world would you schedule 1 hour layovers? Our plane landed at 3:50pm and the line at passport control was ridiculous. I did make the customs officer laugh and he said I "made his day" so that is always a good feeling.
Once through customs I had to wait for my bags, of course mine was one of the last ones off! Then rush over to recheck said bag before hoofing it to Terminal 3 for my 5:10pm flight. What a mess. On the tram heading to Terminal 3 I felt confident I would just squeak onto my flight, but alas, forgot I still had to go through the very long security line. Yes, security. Again. Luckily some people took pity on me and let me cut the 1st class line and I managed to get through fairly quickly. I was the last one on the plane with about 2 minutes to spare. Phew! Well at least I made it because my bag didn't. Oh well, it was just full of dirty, sweaty clothes that all needed to be boiled!
What's the first thing a Texan does upon returning home? TEX MEX! RR came to pick me up and we went straight to Chuy's for dinner. YUM. Margaritas and queso really hit the spot. Got home to a clean apartment that seemed to be in fine order. Chatted with B for a bit -- it had been a few days since we had Skyped so again, really nice to see his face.
Since then, it's just been jetlag and school mostly. My bag did appear the next day so I've spent some time doing laundry, organizing, etc...It'll take a while to get everything back to normal, but with this jet lag, it seems like I'm awake a lot more than I am asleep, so plenty of time to get everything done! Also I've had a nagging sore throat for about 5 days now so I decided to go ahead and see a doc to check it out. Hopefully it's nothing...
Bangkok --> Tokyo (5 hours, 45 minutes)
Tokyo --> Chicago (11 hours, 40 minutes)
Chicago --> Austin (2 hours, 45 minutes)
I was able to switch seats with a nice Japanese man so that I could sit next to BO for both the BKK and NRT flights. Always nice to have someone to talk to on long hauls especially when you discover that they are offering up the EXACT SAME entertainment lineup. Disappointing! I mean really, how many times can you watch Madagascar 2?
Yes, more griping...So I ask you, if you're an airline and you know that all international flights will require U.S. passengers to pass through customs and recheck bags on transfers, why in the world would you schedule 1 hour layovers? Our plane landed at 3:50pm and the line at passport control was ridiculous. I did make the customs officer laugh and he said I "made his day" so that is always a good feeling.
Once through customs I had to wait for my bags, of course mine was one of the last ones off! Then rush over to recheck said bag before hoofing it to Terminal 3 for my 5:10pm flight. What a mess. On the tram heading to Terminal 3 I felt confident I would just squeak onto my flight, but alas, forgot I still had to go through the very long security line. Yes, security. Again. Luckily some people took pity on me and let me cut the 1st class line and I managed to get through fairly quickly. I was the last one on the plane with about 2 minutes to spare. Phew! Well at least I made it because my bag didn't. Oh well, it was just full of dirty, sweaty clothes that all needed to be boiled!
What's the first thing a Texan does upon returning home? TEX MEX! RR came to pick me up and we went straight to Chuy's for dinner. YUM. Margaritas and queso really hit the spot. Got home to a clean apartment that seemed to be in fine order. Chatted with B for a bit -- it had been a few days since we had Skyped so again, really nice to see his face.
Since then, it's just been jetlag and school mostly. My bag did appear the next day so I've spent some time doing laundry, organizing, etc...It'll take a while to get everything back to normal, but with this jet lag, it seems like I'm awake a lot more than I am asleep, so plenty of time to get everything done! Also I've had a nagging sore throat for about 5 days now so I decided to go ahead and see a doc to check it out. Hopefully it's nothing...
Saturday, March 21, 2009
Vientiane, Laos
Our adventure to Vientiane was actually taking us to a small Thai border town called Udon Thani first. Maybe it was the "stupid American" in us, but both BO and I had expected complete chaos and confusion. Perhaps bribery or detention at the border or at the very least some cheats that would leave a bad taste in our mouths. But I'm happy to report that the whole border crossing experience was incredibly organized and virtually painless.
We flew out of the old Bangkok airport, Don Muang where a few domestic flights still operate from. I think it's high time they just shut this airport down -- it's old and dated and has limited services. By now, BKK should be fully operational anyway. The flight from DMK to Udon Thani was only an hour and 15 minutes -- piece of cake considering some of our other travels.
Once in Udon, we took a "limo" (the Thai term for a shared van service) to the Thai-Lao border town of Nong Khai about 45 minutes away. An enterprising young man was offering passport photo service for only 100 baht, so I took advantage of the offer and had 8 photos in hand within 5 minutes. We also bargained with a taxi driver to take us all the way to Vientiane, so he came along with us and helped us through the border crossing process. Worth every dime.
In Nong Khai you pass through Thai customs before boarding a bus that takes you across the Friendship Bridge to the Lao side. Once across, you apply for an on-the-spot visa before continuing onward. Luckily we had our guide because he expedited us through some lines that we didn't really need to wait in. Of course the computers were down so waiting for the visas took a little while longer than we expected. But otherwise, the process went smoothly and soon enough we were in this guy's taxi headed for the city of Vientiane.
About 45 minutes later we were in town and ready to eat! Food is incredibly cheap in Laos -- I imagine it is even cheaper outside of Vientiane. But beers were about $0.75 and you could get a decent meal for around $3. We had lunch and then wandered in search of a hotel which ended up being a bit more hassle than we thought, but finally found one and settled in.
My initial thoughts on Vientiane was that it felt very cosmopolitan for such a small riverside town. There is notable French influence throughout the city, with wide boulevards and a lot of French colonial architecture sharing space with buddhist wats and Thai-style homes. We saw monks everywhere which made me wonder if it is similar to Thailand when all males go through a period of monkhood.
Our first night there we decided to try out Lao massage before dinner and found the Champa Spa on the main road that runs alongside the river banks. Wow, for $10 it was one of the best hour-long massages I have ever gotten even if I did have to wear the giant flip flops. :)
Thoroughly relaxed, we had dinner at a local Italian joint and gorged on pizza and wine. There are quite a few European food options in Vientiane along with tons of cafes, probably a result of the French influence but also all of the European tourists that seemed to be there.
Thursday
We got off to a late start on Thursday and ended up missing out on any opportunities for a day excursion. We were both hoping to head out to the country and had started our malaria pills in anticipation, but most of the worthy destinations were at least a 3 hour drive and wouldn't have been worth our time.
Instead, we decided to just take in the city of Vientiane and explore at a relaxed pace. That consisted of many many beers at lunch, doing our own walking tour around the Palace, Wat Sisaket, the Lao version of the Champs Elysees and Arc de Triomphe, and finally the US Embassy where I was reprimanded for trying to take a photo.
We walked along the Mekong river as well which was surprisingly dry. I'm not sure if it's just the time of year of if it was a drought, but you could have walked across the river in many places. There are tons of food and drink stalls lining the river banks. Basically simple houses on stilts where you can relax with a snack and a beer. Further down the river we found a great bar called Spirit House that had fun drinks AND free wifi! Needless to say, we stayed there for a while.
We wrapped up our last night in Vientiane with another massage (not as good as the first place, but probably also not a good idea to booze all afternoon beforehand) and dinner at a French spot in town. We had grand plans to karaoke after but we were both so exhausted, we just headed back to the hotel and crashed out.
Friday
We figured we would need more time to get back to Bangkok since we had heard the reverse direction was not nearly as clear cut as coming into Laos. So we had a slow morning before trying to find a taxi that would take us to the Friendship Bridge. That ended up being a bit of a hassle but we finally sorted it out and we managed to get through the border okay. Not as efficient as before, but we managed.
Soon we were back on a plane to Bangkok just in time for the rain to start. One more night in Bangkok before heading home. We met up with CB and had drinks and dinner before crashing out.
We flew out of the old Bangkok airport, Don Muang where a few domestic flights still operate from. I think it's high time they just shut this airport down -- it's old and dated and has limited services. By now, BKK should be fully operational anyway. The flight from DMK to Udon Thani was only an hour and 15 minutes -- piece of cake considering some of our other travels.
Once in Udon, we took a "limo" (the Thai term for a shared van service) to the Thai-Lao border town of Nong Khai about 45 minutes away. An enterprising young man was offering passport photo service for only 100 baht, so I took advantage of the offer and had 8 photos in hand within 5 minutes. We also bargained with a taxi driver to take us all the way to Vientiane, so he came along with us and helped us through the border crossing process. Worth every dime.
In Nong Khai you pass through Thai customs before boarding a bus that takes you across the Friendship Bridge to the Lao side. Once across, you apply for an on-the-spot visa before continuing onward. Luckily we had our guide because he expedited us through some lines that we didn't really need to wait in. Of course the computers were down so waiting for the visas took a little while longer than we expected. But otherwise, the process went smoothly and soon enough we were in this guy's taxi headed for the city of Vientiane.About 45 minutes later we were in town and ready to eat! Food is incredibly cheap in Laos -- I imagine it is even cheaper outside of Vientiane. But beers were about $0.75 and you could get a decent meal for around $3. We had lunch and then wandered in search of a hotel which ended up being a bit more hassle than we thought, but finally found one and settled in.
My initial thoughts on Vientiane was that it felt very cosmopolitan for such a small riverside town. There is notable French influence throughout the city, with wide boulevards and a lot of French colonial architecture sharing space with buddhist wats and Thai-style homes. We saw monks everywhere which made me wonder if it is similar to Thailand when all males go through a period of monkhood.
Our first night there we decided to try out Lao massage before dinner and found the Champa Spa on the main road that runs alongside the river banks. Wow, for $10 it was one of the best hour-long massages I have ever gotten even if I did have to wear the giant flip flops. :)
Thoroughly relaxed, we had dinner at a local Italian joint and gorged on pizza and wine. There are quite a few European food options in Vientiane along with tons of cafes, probably a result of the French influence but also all of the European tourists that seemed to be there.
Thursday
We got off to a late start on Thursday and ended up missing out on any opportunities for a day excursion. We were both hoping to head out to the country and had started our malaria pills in anticipation, but most of the worthy destinations were at least a 3 hour drive and wouldn't have been worth our time.
Instead, we decided to just take in the city of Vientiane and explore at a relaxed pace. That consisted of many many beers at lunch, doing our own walking tour around the Palace, Wat Sisaket, the Lao version of the Champs Elysees and Arc de Triomphe, and finally the US Embassy where I was reprimanded for trying to take a photo.
We walked along the Mekong river as well which was surprisingly dry. I'm not sure if it's just the time of year of if it was a drought, but you could have walked across the river in many places. There are tons of food and drink stalls lining the river banks. Basically simple houses on stilts where you can relax with a snack and a beer. Further down the river we found a great bar called Spirit House that had fun drinks AND free wifi! Needless to say, we stayed there for a while.
We wrapped up our last night in Vientiane with another massage (not as good as the first place, but probably also not a good idea to booze all afternoon beforehand) and dinner at a French spot in town. We had grand plans to karaoke after but we were both so exhausted, we just headed back to the hotel and crashed out.
FridayWe figured we would need more time to get back to Bangkok since we had heard the reverse direction was not nearly as clear cut as coming into Laos. So we had a slow morning before trying to find a taxi that would take us to the Friendship Bridge. That ended up being a bit of a hassle but we finally sorted it out and we managed to get through the border okay. Not as efficient as before, but we managed.
Soon we were back on a plane to Bangkok just in time for the rain to start. One more night in Bangkok before heading home. We met up with CB and had drinks and dinner before crashing out.
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Bangkok, Thailand
My second time to Bangkok and I am still trying to figure out the allure. I mean, yeah there are definitely cool parts to the city, but it gets old after like, a day. I will say the heat that I expected held off until our last day. We actually weren't there for very long and had quite a bit of free time although most of it seemed to be spent in traffic. UGH, Bangkok traffic!
The flight from Hanoi was a nightmare, just like last year. I just think the Hanoi airport cannot handle the volume of people that come through there. On top of the normal airport nightmares, we also had several issues with names not matching passports which was a huge mistake on the part of our travel agency. She'll definitely hear about it when we do a trip follow up!
Sunday
Anyway, we arrived pretty early and had the rest of the day free. A group of us decided to grab lunch and then hit the Chatuchak weekend market, the largest in Bangkok. Holy cow! The words cannot even begin to describe the enormity of this place. It is actually frightening the number of people, vendors, stalls, aisles and aisles of goods from underwear to pots and pans to little puppies. Yep, pups.
That night we got a recommendation from the hotel for a Thai restaurant called Naj. It was delicious once we actually got there. What a nightmare, having to give someone the slip so we wouldn't have to entertain him at dinner, and then getting lost on our way. Oh well, it ended up being a great time.
Monday
Yay, my birthday!!! Although it had some bumps in the road, it ended up being a fantastic birthday. First off we had a free morning in which most people were hungover. But a few of us headed over to the tailor and got fitted for suits. That took a big chunk out of our morning and then J & I went and grabbed lunch. M&B ended up meeting us as they were giving someone else the slip for lunch.
We were meeting with the Commercial Service Office in the afternoon and that meeting was very interesting. Even more interesting in that it was our first meeting led completely by females. At any rate, we had arranged for a visit to the MBOX manufacturing facility but somehow Chuckie, the tour guide got the directions completely screwed up and we ended up lost on a narrow dirt road in the Thai countryside for what seemed like hours. In the end, we had to cancel the meeting which was embarrassing and annoying but the company understood.
The other thing about that little snafu was that some real personalities came out in times of panic. I had to laugh at how many sissies we had. There was literally screaming coming from the back of the bus...and not a single one from a female. It was definitely a moment for eye rolling and comments like, "come on guys, man up".
With all of the drama behind us, we came up with an elaborate birthday plan so that it wasn't a complete mess of 30 people trying to make decisions. I had selected 10 people that I wanted to be at the dinner and then opened up drinks to the group at the State Tower. In the meantime, we went back to the tailor for a 2nd fitting and then headed straight to dinner after.
Dinner was at the Blue Elephant and it was very very nice. Probably too nice for my birthday but we had a lovely time. They even ordered a "birthday gelato" with 3 candles. Lovely. After dinner we walked to the State Tower and took the elevator to the 63rd floor. I warned everyone about the pricey drinks, but the view is totally worth it. So we had one round of celebratory drinks before heading back to the hotel wine bar. Ugh, so much wine that night which made for a tough Tuesday morning, but we had so much fun.
Tuesday
It finally got unbearably hot on Tuesday...of course the day we had scheduled a city tour that was mostly outdoor and requiring "proper dress" meaning long pants and sleeves. Oh boy. I have never heard so many complaints in my life but I guaranteed them that they would regret having come all this way and missed out on all the highlights of the city.
So on we trudged with long, red faces to the Reclining Buddha, Grand Palace & Emerald Buddha before breaking for an air-conditioned lunch. We also took a lovely boat tour around some of the canals in Bangkok which definitely gives a different perspective of the city. In the end, we had to cut things short or speed them up to keep the kids at bay. After lunch we finished up and headed back to the hotel for a quick refresher before dinner.
I had my final fitting in the hotel room before dinner so I felt rushed all afternoon. Our closing alumni dinner was at Cabbages and Condoms, a unique "restaurant with a message", but with Bangkok traffic we ended up being 30 minutes late for a very important Thai dignitary that had agreed to come speak to our group before dinner. MAJOR FAUX PAS. Plus everyone was so cranky from the bus ride that once we did meet with this gentleman everyone was so disengaged. Frankly, it was embarrassing for our group.
We did have a fantastic turnout of alums which made me happy. I think we may have had the most of any of the other Global trips so that is always nice. Afterward, some of the alums took our students out, but a group of us headed back to the hotel. BO & I headed out to find me some passport photos but to no avail and we were both exhausted so we gave up. I wasn't too worried about it and mostly just felt relieved that my duties as GRA were officially over and in general, everyone got along and survived and hopefully even had a good time.
Tomorrow, Laos!
The flight from Hanoi was a nightmare, just like last year. I just think the Hanoi airport cannot handle the volume of people that come through there. On top of the normal airport nightmares, we also had several issues with names not matching passports which was a huge mistake on the part of our travel agency. She'll definitely hear about it when we do a trip follow up!
Sunday
Anyway, we arrived pretty early and had the rest of the day free. A group of us decided to grab lunch and then hit the Chatuchak weekend market, the largest in Bangkok. Holy cow! The words cannot even begin to describe the enormity of this place. It is actually frightening the number of people, vendors, stalls, aisles and aisles of goods from underwear to pots and pans to little puppies. Yep, pups.
That night we got a recommendation from the hotel for a Thai restaurant called Naj. It was delicious once we actually got there. What a nightmare, having to give someone the slip so we wouldn't have to entertain him at dinner, and then getting lost on our way. Oh well, it ended up being a great time.Monday
Yay, my birthday!!! Although it had some bumps in the road, it ended up being a fantastic birthday. First off we had a free morning in which most people were hungover. But a few of us headed over to the tailor and got fitted for suits. That took a big chunk out of our morning and then J & I went and grabbed lunch. M&B ended up meeting us as they were giving someone else the slip for lunch.
We were meeting with the Commercial Service Office in the afternoon and that meeting was very interesting. Even more interesting in that it was our first meeting led completely by females. At any rate, we had arranged for a visit to the MBOX manufacturing facility but somehow Chuckie, the tour guide got the directions completely screwed up and we ended up lost on a narrow dirt road in the Thai countryside for what seemed like hours. In the end, we had to cancel the meeting which was embarrassing and annoying but the company understood.
The other thing about that little snafu was that some real personalities came out in times of panic. I had to laugh at how many sissies we had. There was literally screaming coming from the back of the bus...and not a single one from a female. It was definitely a moment for eye rolling and comments like, "come on guys, man up".
With all of the drama behind us, we came up with an elaborate birthday plan so that it wasn't a complete mess of 30 people trying to make decisions. I had selected 10 people that I wanted to be at the dinner and then opened up drinks to the group at the State Tower. In the meantime, we went back to the tailor for a 2nd fitting and then headed straight to dinner after.
Dinner was at the Blue Elephant and it was very very nice. Probably too nice for my birthday but we had a lovely time. They even ordered a "birthday gelato" with 3 candles. Lovely. After dinner we walked to the State Tower and took the elevator to the 63rd floor. I warned everyone about the pricey drinks, but the view is totally worth it. So we had one round of celebratory drinks before heading back to the hotel wine bar. Ugh, so much wine that night which made for a tough Tuesday morning, but we had so much fun.
Tuesday
It finally got unbearably hot on Tuesday...of course the day we had scheduled a city tour that was mostly outdoor and requiring "proper dress" meaning long pants and sleeves. Oh boy. I have never heard so many complaints in my life but I guaranteed them that they would regret having come all this way and missed out on all the highlights of the city.
So on we trudged with long, red faces to the Reclining Buddha, Grand Palace & Emerald Buddha before breaking for an air-conditioned lunch. We also took a lovely boat tour around some of the canals in Bangkok which definitely gives a different perspective of the city. In the end, we had to cut things short or speed them up to keep the kids at bay. After lunch we finished up and headed back to the hotel for a quick refresher before dinner.
I had my final fitting in the hotel room before dinner so I felt rushed all afternoon. Our closing alumni dinner was at Cabbages and Condoms, a unique "restaurant with a message", but with Bangkok traffic we ended up being 30 minutes late for a very important Thai dignitary that had agreed to come speak to our group before dinner. MAJOR FAUX PAS. Plus everyone was so cranky from the bus ride that once we did meet with this gentleman everyone was so disengaged. Frankly, it was embarrassing for our group.We did have a fantastic turnout of alums which made me happy. I think we may have had the most of any of the other Global trips so that is always nice. Afterward, some of the alums took our students out, but a group of us headed back to the hotel. BO & I headed out to find me some passport photos but to no avail and we were both exhausted so we gave up. I wasn't too worried about it and mostly just felt relieved that my duties as GRA were officially over and in general, everyone got along and survived and hopefully even had a good time.
Tomorrow, Laos!
Sunday, March 15, 2009
Hanoi, Vietnam
We only had a couple of small hiccups at the airport and made it to Hanoi by mid-afternoon. Our hotel was amazing and our group took over nearly an entire pavilion in the lake. The King & Queen of Malaysia also happened to be staying there so there was heightened security around the grounds and they had rolled out the red carpet (literally).
I feel a strange connection to this place even though I was born in the south. Maybe it's because my family has such deep roots here or maybe I just like the slower pace of life that the city seems to have. It always seems a little foggy and mysterious too, kind of like San Francisco in the winter. In fact, the weather was sort of gray and drizzly the entire time we were there, but maybe it was for the best as the temperatures stayed bearable and it really didn't keep us from any of our planned activities.
Wednesday
We had planned a group dinner at Brother Cafe that night. It's essentially a Vietnamese buffet which makes it easy for people to pick and choose what they would like to eat. The restaurant itself is very cute and inviting, so we had a nice time as a group just relaxing together.
Afterward we hit a wine bar near the hotel. As it turns out, it's owned by an expat from Chicago who runs multiple other businesses in Hanoi.
Thursday
We did not get so lucky with our business meetings in Hanoi. One was mid-morning Thursday and the other was late afternoon Friday. Oh well, we were determined to get at least 2 business meetings in Hanoi so that was the only way to do it. The one good thing about that is we got to sleep in a little. At any rate, the meeting went better than expected even if they didn't have enough seats for all of us.
After the meeting we headed to lunch -- theme of the trip: keep the natives fat and happy -- and then go on a city tour most of which took place around Ho Chi Minh's mausoleum and then a quick visit to the Temple of Literature. We wrapped up the day with a cyclo tour of the 36 Streets on the old part of Hanoi. I really liked this last year and hoped the others would enjoy it as well. It's always fun when your cyclo peddler tries to beat out another cyclo.
That night we had a "cultural event" at a local restaurant called Forest that included traditional music and dancing. We hit up the wine bar again that night but took the bottles back to my room for some chilled-out drinking.
Friday
We had the morning free so a few of us headed into town for some shopping. It's always a rush though and we found ourselves hurrying back to the hotel for the Ford meeting. The drive out to Ford is about an hour and a half and this year the head of the Vietnam division wasn't available so his replacement, while good, wasn't nearly as engaging. Not only that but the plant just happened to be on a 15 minute break, so our tour was mostly dark and quiet. Oh well...
Within the 45 minutes that we were inside the building the weather had changed drastically. We came out to a 20 degree drop in temperature and lashing winds! We were so exhausted that night, we opted to just have dinner at the hotel and make it an early night in preparation for a full day's excursion to Halong Bay!
Saturday
We hit the road early for the 3 1/2 hour journey to Halong Bay, but it was well worth it. The weather from the day before had cleared up and it ended up being sunny and warm on the water. We had a lovely lunch on the junk and way too many bottles of wine, but it was such a nice day. Did the requisite tour of the caves but mostly just enjoyed our time on the boat before heading back to Hanoi that evening. I don't even remember what we did that night, but I think it involved more pizza at the hotel restaurant.
And before we knew it, our time in Vietnam was coming to a close. Next up, Bangkok!
I feel a strange connection to this place even though I was born in the south. Maybe it's because my family has such deep roots here or maybe I just like the slower pace of life that the city seems to have. It always seems a little foggy and mysterious too, kind of like San Francisco in the winter. In fact, the weather was sort of gray and drizzly the entire time we were there, but maybe it was for the best as the temperatures stayed bearable and it really didn't keep us from any of our planned activities.
Wednesday
We had planned a group dinner at Brother Cafe that night. It's essentially a Vietnamese buffet which makes it easy for people to pick and choose what they would like to eat. The restaurant itself is very cute and inviting, so we had a nice time as a group just relaxing together.
Afterward we hit a wine bar near the hotel. As it turns out, it's owned by an expat from Chicago who runs multiple other businesses in Hanoi.
Thursday
We did not get so lucky with our business meetings in Hanoi. One was mid-morning Thursday and the other was late afternoon Friday. Oh well, we were determined to get at least 2 business meetings in Hanoi so that was the only way to do it. The one good thing about that is we got to sleep in a little. At any rate, the meeting went better than expected even if they didn't have enough seats for all of us.
After the meeting we headed to lunch -- theme of the trip: keep the natives fat and happy -- and then go on a city tour most of which took place around Ho Chi Minh's mausoleum and then a quick visit to the Temple of Literature. We wrapped up the day with a cyclo tour of the 36 Streets on the old part of Hanoi. I really liked this last year and hoped the others would enjoy it as well. It's always fun when your cyclo peddler tries to beat out another cyclo.
That night we had a "cultural event" at a local restaurant called Forest that included traditional music and dancing. We hit up the wine bar again that night but took the bottles back to my room for some chilled-out drinking.
Friday
We had the morning free so a few of us headed into town for some shopping. It's always a rush though and we found ourselves hurrying back to the hotel for the Ford meeting. The drive out to Ford is about an hour and a half and this year the head of the Vietnam division wasn't available so his replacement, while good, wasn't nearly as engaging. Not only that but the plant just happened to be on a 15 minute break, so our tour was mostly dark and quiet. Oh well...
Within the 45 minutes that we were inside the building the weather had changed drastically. We came out to a 20 degree drop in temperature and lashing winds! We were so exhausted that night, we opted to just have dinner at the hotel and make it an early night in preparation for a full day's excursion to Halong Bay!
Saturday
We hit the road early for the 3 1/2 hour journey to Halong Bay, but it was well worth it. The weather from the day before had cleared up and it ended up being sunny and warm on the water. We had a lovely lunch on the junk and way too many bottles of wine, but it was such a nice day. Did the requisite tour of the caves but mostly just enjoyed our time on the boat before heading back to Hanoi that evening. I don't even remember what we did that night, but I think it involved more pizza at the hotel restaurant.
And before we knew it, our time in Vietnam was coming to a close. Next up, Bangkok!
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Saigon, Vietnam
The sweltering heat in Saigon is almost unbearable at this time of year. Even at 11pm when we arrived on Saturday night the air was heavy with moisture and I immediately started sweating which really didn't stop until we flew to Hanoi!
Sunday
We had planned the Mekong Delta tour for our first day. It was a rough wake up call for folks still getting accustomed to the 12 hour time difference, but a great way to force people to stay awake and active. My Tho is about 70km from Saigon but the traffic in the city sometimes adds significant time to the journey, particularly when you're in a huge chartered tour bus. But the ride was painless and the weather was nice for the multiple boat rides we took.
Of course we did all of the same things as last year - taking a boat to a candy making factory, drinking local tea (which bees especially are attracted to), and handling a large disgusting snake. We also snacked on tropical fruits and I recalled when EQ choked on a piece of fruit and B had to give her the heimlich. I still tease him about it.
We were back in town in time for dinner so a group of us headed out to a nice place near our hotel to wrap up a lovely start to our trip.
Monday
This was another early day full of business meetings. I was glad we were able to arrange all of our meetings on one day. First up we visited with the Department of Commerce which was very interesting. I remember really liking this guy last year and this time was no different. The group even managed to ask some really insightful questions. Our next meeting was less successful, partially due to the fact that we were crammed in a tiny classroom with questionable air conditioning. It didn't help that the speaker was not very engaging but he did lend an interesting non-business perspective to working in Vietnam. He had done a couple of poverty projects for USAID up in the hill countries of Vietnam.
We had a quick break for lunch before our last meeting and returned to Sen Restaurant which was a real highlight last year. The restaurant itself is absolutely stunning, tucked behind a retail and residential area on a small back alley. The food wasn't bad either and everyone seemed happy with the set menu.
After lunch we headed out to the Saigon Hi-Tech Park to meet with Intel and hear about their plans in Southeast Asia. This was a very interesting meeting and as it turns out, they are hiring Vietnamese who have been educated abroad and wish to return to the motherland.
Again, we had finished in time to have another nice dinner out with friends. This time it was a bit of a wild goose chase -- the result of leaving the hotel without a plan!
Tuesday
Our last full day in Saigon and it was boiling hot outside. We originally had a city tour and a visit to the Cu Chi tunnels on the roster, but due to the heat we had to cut it short. In the end, we did make it out to the tunnels and had a chance to get out at the rubber tree plantation so I got some good pics for B. Then back to the city for lunch and then the War Remnants Museum, the central post office, and the Notre Dame Cathedral.
That night we had a big night out in Saigon. Went to dinner with my friend's mother who took us to Quan An Ngon which is a restaurant that has consolidated the best of Vietnamese street food and put it in one place. The food was fantastic! Afterward, we met some folks on the 23rd floor of the Sheraton for birthday drinks before wrapping it up at the Park Hyatt with more drinks.
Then off to bed for an early flight to Hanoi...
Sunday
We had planned the Mekong Delta tour for our first day. It was a rough wake up call for folks still getting accustomed to the 12 hour time difference, but a great way to force people to stay awake and active. My Tho is about 70km from Saigon but the traffic in the city sometimes adds significant time to the journey, particularly when you're in a huge chartered tour bus. But the ride was painless and the weather was nice for the multiple boat rides we took.
Of course we did all of the same things as last year - taking a boat to a candy making factory, drinking local tea (which bees especially are attracted to), and handling a large disgusting snake. We also snacked on tropical fruits and I recalled when EQ choked on a piece of fruit and B had to give her the heimlich. I still tease him about it.
We were back in town in time for dinner so a group of us headed out to a nice place near our hotel to wrap up a lovely start to our trip.
Monday
This was another early day full of business meetings. I was glad we were able to arrange all of our meetings on one day. First up we visited with the Department of Commerce which was very interesting. I remember really liking this guy last year and this time was no different. The group even managed to ask some really insightful questions. Our next meeting was less successful, partially due to the fact that we were crammed in a tiny classroom with questionable air conditioning. It didn't help that the speaker was not very engaging but he did lend an interesting non-business perspective to working in Vietnam. He had done a couple of poverty projects for USAID up in the hill countries of Vietnam.
We had a quick break for lunch before our last meeting and returned to Sen Restaurant which was a real highlight last year. The restaurant itself is absolutely stunning, tucked behind a retail and residential area on a small back alley. The food wasn't bad either and everyone seemed happy with the set menu.
After lunch we headed out to the Saigon Hi-Tech Park to meet with Intel and hear about their plans in Southeast Asia. This was a very interesting meeting and as it turns out, they are hiring Vietnamese who have been educated abroad and wish to return to the motherland.
Again, we had finished in time to have another nice dinner out with friends. This time it was a bit of a wild goose chase -- the result of leaving the hotel without a plan!
Tuesday
Our last full day in Saigon and it was boiling hot outside. We originally had a city tour and a visit to the Cu Chi tunnels on the roster, but due to the heat we had to cut it short. In the end, we did make it out to the tunnels and had a chance to get out at the rubber tree plantation so I got some good pics for B. Then back to the city for lunch and then the War Remnants Museum, the central post office, and the Notre Dame Cathedral.
That night we had a big night out in Saigon. Went to dinner with my friend's mother who took us to Quan An Ngon which is a restaurant that has consolidated the best of Vietnamese street food and put it in one place. The food was fantastic! Afterward, we met some folks on the 23rd floor of the Sheraton for birthday drinks before wrapping it up at the Park Hyatt with more drinks.
Then off to bed for an early flight to Hanoi...
Saturday, March 7, 2009
Around the world in 15 days
With midterms more or less behind me, and nowhere near ready to travel around the world, I threw some stuff in a suitcase and set off for Vietnam on what would be a 21 hour journey:
I ended up watching Quantum of Solace for the 2nd time, Vicky Cristina Barcelona (still don't get the hype), and Madagascar 2 (not nearly as good as the 1st). I filled in the quiet time with episodes of The Office. The greatest thing about the flights was that I never had to sit next to anyone. So I was able to spread out and get comfy, but how comfy can you really get on a 13.5 hour flight?
Warning: more griping ahead. I always forget just how terrible plane food is and these flights were no different. I wonder too when they stopped offering free alcohol on long haul flights? $6 a pop! Ugh. And it was turbulent for much of the flight which is not my favorite. I kept asking myself if becoming a consultant was a good idea as I would have to fly every single week. Hopefully I won't need Xanax just to get to work!
I am glad I got a chance to speak with B since it might be a while before we catch up again. We didn’t say too much, but it was nice to hear his voice. I actually cried last night when we were saying goodbye on Skype. Not sure why, I just suddenly got very emotional at the end of the conversation and I couldn’t help it. No tears today, but I do miss him and wish he was joining me on this trip. I suppose it’s all for the best in the end, but one of these days I would like for us to get away together. I can’t believe it’s been a whole year since I took this trip the first time. I have so many fond memories of our time there, but it was also sort of the beginning of the end for AJ and I so definitely a bittersweet journey.
Next up, Ho Chi Minh City...
- Austin --> Dallas (1 hour, 5 minutes)
- Dallas --> Tokyo (13 hours, 30 minutes)
- Tokyo --> Ho Chi Minh City (6 hours, 40 minutes)
I ended up watching Quantum of Solace for the 2nd time, Vicky Cristina Barcelona (still don't get the hype), and Madagascar 2 (not nearly as good as the 1st). I filled in the quiet time with episodes of The Office. The greatest thing about the flights was that I never had to sit next to anyone. So I was able to spread out and get comfy, but how comfy can you really get on a 13.5 hour flight?
Warning: more griping ahead. I always forget just how terrible plane food is and these flights were no different. I wonder too when they stopped offering free alcohol on long haul flights? $6 a pop! Ugh. And it was turbulent for much of the flight which is not my favorite. I kept asking myself if becoming a consultant was a good idea as I would have to fly every single week. Hopefully I won't need Xanax just to get to work!
I am glad I got a chance to speak with B since it might be a while before we catch up again. We didn’t say too much, but it was nice to hear his voice. I actually cried last night when we were saying goodbye on Skype. Not sure why, I just suddenly got very emotional at the end of the conversation and I couldn’t help it. No tears today, but I do miss him and wish he was joining me on this trip. I suppose it’s all for the best in the end, but one of these days I would like for us to get away together. I can’t believe it’s been a whole year since I took this trip the first time. I have so many fond memories of our time there, but it was also sort of the beginning of the end for AJ and I so definitely a bittersweet journey.
Next up, Ho Chi Minh City...
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