so funny i am crying, really crying.
all it takes is about an hour after landing in Hong Kong to realize what is playing out on the world economic stage. the efficiency, the focus, the recalibration to a new marketplace that is increasingly dedicated to its own cultural explosion. the east, China, are expeditiously moving towards prosperity. with over one billion citizens and the expanded world market, China has fully realized its potential and how that will glass out the other players in the economic tumble that has befallen the US and now Europe. almost every mid-size city is exploding with growth and economic wealth. the middle class is bustling with entrepreneurial and government investment. from banking to manufacturing to tourism, it seems that almost all the aspects of Chinese society and business is robustly poised to build on international progress. even looking at western company’s penetration with product is an interesting example. a war horse example would be Starbucks’ elevated expansion into a city such as Hangzhou. 2 years before there were just a few of them, but now within a square mile there must be over 15 locations. a mutually attractive scenario such as this still, in the end, tips the odds in favor of China and will eventually shift the power play of consumption of goods. we will eventually become the labor for and at the service of consumers outside of our own groggy recovery in the USA. from the Newark train station to Century avenue in the Pudong of Shanghai-it is clear that the focused (though potentially on its own environmental crash course) today of China is blowing by the West’s model. the shabby what used to be is blurring out of focus in favor of a new world of the have’s and have-not’s. China, for example, has already become the largest manufacturer of cars in the world and at the same time is the largest consumer of vehicles. will this all point to a new answer for an old problem. Should we engage the idea of an economic structure that dispenses with competition all together, but instead work on mutual need(s)s and brokered self accomplishment. i am inclined to think that the game has not changed all that much, but the power suck clearly is moving to China and moving away from the old winners.
Just starting my 2nd trip to China and last evening I landed in Hong Kong and made my way down to Kowloon district to stay the night until my flight today to Fuzhou. One can’t help but feel the similarity to Singapore upon arrival. What was the most striking in my walk-around last night was the diversity. People literally from all walks of life hanging out on a Saturday night. I must have heard at least 5 different languages while just taking a short walk before running into a little noodle joint for some goose, bok choy noodle bowl with my Tsingtao tall boy. It seems quite orderly and mellow. My original plan was to hop off the plane and rush down to take a 9:30 pm reservation at the revered Nobu. By the time I checked in after my 15 hour + flight, I realized the last thing I truly wanted to do was go and sit and eat, even if it was Nobu. I faired better for my 4 dollar dinner street-side and people watch. After a fast dinner, I wrapped up at a german pub and enjoyed a last round before heading out around midnight to let my jet lag take me under for some much needed sleep. Today I leave and meet with my hosts. I am very excited to see more of China and to learn more about our supplier relationships.
yeah, the monkeys can do that
Dec 19th Ooty, Tamil Nadu, India
Crisp morning waking to a glorious, sunny day here at Gerard Pinto’s bungalow. He has lived here almost 20 years and his property is surrounded entirely by gardens and the tea plantation itself. Last night we arrived here after a 7 hour drive from Bangalore. The drive took us from the state of Karnataka through to Tamil Nadu. We were able to see the town of Mysore and the famous palace built by the famed King of the city from the 14th Century. Into the evening we wound our way up the northern strip of the Nilgiri’s through the Tiger Reserve Mudumalai. Along the roadside we sited two male elephants feeding by the road, an indian bison, wild boar, a mongoose and various deer and elk. By 10 pm we were having dinner in Ooty at the Gateway Hotel amidst a wedding of two hundred between a Christian bride and Muslim groom. All fine with me, but seemed to be all the talk. And now, this morning the mist pulls back and reveals a morning of blue and green; full of tea and sky. We eat a quick breakfast and make our way up to Korakundah to see the garden, cup and try and find tigers or whatever else that is beyond the the garden boundary.
To Whom It May Not Concern;
It was supposed to be as simple as just walking on a plane, but this is South America- things go down a little (lot) differently than most other places. I had gotten up quite early, had my breakfast, checked out and then made my way across the street from the Costa del Sol Hotel to the airport terminal. Easy enough, right? Two hours before my flight and I am in line and asking in my broken spanish if I was in the right line and if I needed to worry about making it on time for my international connection. “No problema” she says. The same one, who 70 min. later said she never spoke to me in front of her supervisor and that she was actively calling for all La Paz passengers to come to the front of the line. I asked her twice and she even looked at my ticket and said a second time, “No problema, senor!”, like I was bugging her the 2nd time. I was at the front desk an hour and 10 minutes before the flight, but apparently in Lima on a National Holiday, all bets are off. I was told I was to be here 3 hours before my flight…hmmm, well the last time anywhere in the world I needed to be at the gate 3 hours before was days after 911, so I guess we are in an amber or red alert here in Peru. Life throws many lemons at us at times, but I just can’t seem to squeeze enough out of this 12 hour lay over for a drink (my second time around with accidental problems with LAN airlines, which resulted in a 12 hour layover) when trying to get out of La Paz on my way to Brazil in 2006. Guess where I had to go instead of my intended Sao Paulo destination yes, you guessed it, Lima!!
What’s it all mean you might ask…well, language can be a hornets nest all stirred up, is my divination. So late tonight I will be landing in the city with the name of the airport entitled “Alta” and it is very high up: 11,000 ft in places. Why is it I tend to repeat my own history. Before I even got here I was fully aware of my traveller’s bad luck when it came to Peru and Bolivia. So, even with that knowledge crammed into my very small brain, I still let it slide down that slippery slope of conundrum. A few things I have learned from such travel-esque moments: 1) never, ever use actual profanity (in La Paz they were going to call in a military guard to “settle”…in fact, they did have a guy watching my every move with his hand on his billy club and M-16. 2) if you do use profanity, make sure you omit god, jesus and mothers 3) first thought best thought might work with Buddhist philosophy, but when in an airport refrain from such endeavors, it can only lead to the conclusion: 1st thought led to four other real problems, which then results in excessive profanity while walking in the terminal by oneself. This usually sends a message to fellow traveller’s that you are truly one crazy, ass americano 4) don’t worry, there must be a lounge somewhere around here with Pisco sours raining from heaven just for you. 5) when in a business center and you have a spare 7 and a half hours left, make sure to wear headphones to block out the old school clock that is reminiscent of my grandmother’s old alarm clock that makes a very loud “click-click” noise with each passing second; this could lead to more profanity and screaming to/at oneself; whatever that means.
Aahh, yes, international travel…the excitement,the sheer sobering sense of cultural immersion, the sites and sounds (even in an airport after 10 or so hours)…oh, and smells (yeah, what the hell IS that smell) and it keeps following me around the terminal. The best part too, is when you have been loitering long enough that the secret police come over, take your passport, ask you what are you doing, where you are going and, at that particular moment, you realize that you are not sure at all of where you are going and what day and that maybe you won’t actually leave Peru. You shoulda’ seen the look on that undercover cop’s face. He actually shook my hand as he jotted down all of my information on his clip board “loiterer’s list” form. I think they are still watching me right now from some little camera up high and checking my background information for criminal activity. Thank god that felony charge from La Paz has finally fell off my record.
Sincerely yours,
dd
stumbling into the blogosphere and not a lot to say. I will be adding travel journal work regularly starting with my next trip to Panama coming up on the 27th of June to do volunteer work with SCAP of Panama and other quality control folks. This is a joint venture with CQI and the Roaster’s Guild. I am so excited to go and help train folks how to sample roast with my bud, Chris Schooley. My first trip will actually complete my last country in the Central American swath.
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