Lonely Planet says "by no stretch of the imagination could Ulaanbaatar (the capital of Mongolia) be called pretty." That's an understatement. The city is composed of Soviet-era apartment buildings, factories and a whole lot of air pollution. However, it does have the all the basics a tourist needs in a city: good restaurants, numerous hotels and guesthouses, real supermarkets, clean asphalt roads, banks and ATMs, internet cafes, really cheap taxis and very friendly people.
Once you're out of the city though, its a whole different ballgame. The scenery (rolling hills, sand dunes, blue sky, clean rivers, animals and animal herders) is absolutely stunning. The phrase "off the beaten path" doesn't do this place justice. "Driving" (more on this later) in the countryside is like looking into the Old West in 1850.
- No houses (families live in one-room yurts);
- No plumbing (think outhouse);
- Sheep, horses, goats and camels FAR outnumber people;
- Small 'General Stores' provide the locals with whatever supplies they need.
Other interesting facts:
- Alas, Mongolian BBQ is a myth (weep): There is only 1 restaurant in Ulaanbattar that serves "Mongolian Barbecue", and when we described it, no one knew what we were talking about. Soup and mutton are staples of the Mongolian diet.
- As a people, Mongolians have been the friendliest we've met on the trip thus far.
- The Mongolian language uses the Russian Cyrillic written alphabet. Although the locals claim the languages are very different, to us they sound identical. And we found it extremely difficult to pronounce anything in Mongolian.
- The locals love Chinggis Khaan (aka, Genghis Khan) - during his time, Mongolia ruled most of Asia. His face is on all the money, and there is a hotel and a beer are named after him.
- Airag, a beverage made out of fermented mare milk, isn't nearly as appetizing as it sounds (note the hint of sarcasm).
- The same applies for homemade cheeses made out of fermented and unfermented goat and mare milk.
- Its the first country we've been to where both left-hand drive and right-hand drive cars are allowed.
- Its a large tourist destination for South Koreans (the closest non-communist Asian mainland country, only a couple of hours away via plane).
- As the country has about 25% unemployment, Mongolians are often times overqualified for the job they receive (e.g, college educated, but job only requires a high school education). A growing number are moving to South Korea to work, and send money back to support their families.
About driving in the countryside:
Apparently China, Dubai and Singapore have taken the lion's share of civil engineers. Words can't describe how bad the roads outside of Ulaanbattar are. Actually, they aren't roads; people just drive on grass and dirt and "make" their own road.
We hired a car and guides to bring us 280km southwest of Ulaanbaatar so we could go horseback riding on sand dunes. Those of you that have seen my pre-Marie residences know that I can peacefully co-exist with a little thing called dust. Well, lets just say thanks to the combination of being near the desert, long-term drought, 35+ degree centigrade (95+ degree farenheight) temperatures, lack of asphalt roads, an old Korean mini-van that lacked seat belts and an HVAC (heater, ventilation, air-conditioning) system, and a 20-year old driver that thought he was in the Paris-Dakar rally, even I was having trouble dealing with it. Marie, who is very allergic to dust, was practically on her death-bed. Our guides Doljoo and Tseveenee were wonderful, and really made us feel at home; and the sand dunes were amazing; but the journey to get there: not so good.
Bottom line:
If you really like nature, or ever wondered what "The Old West" was like, this is the place for you. Just wait until they finish construction on the roads.
Monday, July 30, 2007
Trans-Siberian railway: Beijing - Ulaanbaatar
Our first Trans-Siberian (technically, Trans-Mongolian) railway segment was from Beijing to Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. We had our own 6 foot by 5 foot "soft sleeper" berth in this German-made train operated by Mongolian Railways.
- The berth consisted of: 2 lightly padded benches, a window that was not designed open, 4 reading lights and a centrally controlled air-conditioning system that only worked at night.
- The amenities provided were: 2 wool blankets, a package of fresh sheets and pillow case (but no pillow), and a thermos containing hot water for tea/coffee.
- Our "non-smoking" train carriage had: 2 bathrooms (mens and womens) that were very well cleaned/maintaned throughout the trip, but did not have running water or a shower, and could not be used when stoppeat a train station. Additionally, potable hot water was available at the end of each carriage.
- The train had a shared (and smoke-filled) dining car which sold bad cheap food and good cheap (albeit room-temperature) beer.
Traveling through the Chinese countryside provides a glimpse of the huge disparity between city life and those of the farmers and factory workers. As discussed in a previous post, life for these folks certainly doesn't appear to be terribly great. From that perspective, taking the train was very insightful, because we saw a side of the country very few westerners get to see.
Changing running gear:
Because they were paranoid about being invaded, the Russians designed their train tracks to be a couple of inches wider than the rest of the world. As a result, our train had to change running gear (bogies) at the border between China and Mongolia (Mongolia was under Russian control when the railway was built). Basically, while you're sitting in the train, a machine lifts the train car, pushes the Chinese gear to another track, rolls in the Russian/Mongolian gear and lowers the train car. The entire process takes an hour or two, and is very cool to watch.
What is not cool is that the process of going through Chinese immigration and customs, changing running gear, and Mongolian immigration and customs took about 5 hours, during which time you cannot get off the train, the electricity is turned off (hence, no air-conditioning or reading lights) and the bathrooms are closed. Oh, and this occurs between 8.30pm and 1.30am. In the US, airlines are fined big bucks for leaving passengers on the tarmac in these conditions -- here's its business as usual.
Having said all that, the trip took about 30 hours, and from my perspective, other than 5 hours of sitting at the border, was reasonably pleasant. Marie did not enjoy it as much (especially the sitting around), but found it manageable.
- The berth consisted of: 2 lightly padded benches, a window that was not designed open, 4 reading lights and a centrally controlled air-conditioning system that only worked at night.
- The amenities provided were: 2 wool blankets, a package of fresh sheets and pillow case (but no pillow), and a thermos containing hot water for tea/coffee.
- Our "non-smoking" train carriage had: 2 bathrooms (mens and womens) that were very well cleaned/maintaned throughout the trip, but did not have running water or a shower, and could not be used when stoppeat a train station. Additionally, potable hot water was available at the end of each carriage.
- The train had a shared (and smoke-filled) dining car which sold bad cheap food and good cheap (albeit room-temperature) beer.
Traveling through the Chinese countryside provides a glimpse of the huge disparity between city life and those of the farmers and factory workers. As discussed in a previous post, life for these folks certainly doesn't appear to be terribly great. From that perspective, taking the train was very insightful, because we saw a side of the country very few westerners get to see.
Changing running gear:
Because they were paranoid about being invaded, the Russians designed their train tracks to be a couple of inches wider than the rest of the world. As a result, our train had to change running gear (bogies) at the border between China and Mongolia (Mongolia was under Russian control when the railway was built). Basically, while you're sitting in the train, a machine lifts the train car, pushes the Chinese gear to another track, rolls in the Russian/Mongolian gear and lowers the train car. The entire process takes an hour or two, and is very cool to watch.
What is not cool is that the process of going through Chinese immigration and customs, changing running gear, and Mongolian immigration and customs took about 5 hours, during which time you cannot get off the train, the electricity is turned off (hence, no air-conditioning or reading lights) and the bathrooms are closed. Oh, and this occurs between 8.30pm and 1.30am. In the US, airlines are fined big bucks for leaving passengers on the tarmac in these conditions -- here's its business as usual.
Having said all that, the trip took about 30 hours, and from my perspective, other than 5 hours of sitting at the border, was reasonably pleasant. Marie did not enjoy it as much (especially the sitting around), but found it manageable.
Thursday, July 26, 2007
The Chinese Communists are just such great capitalists
One more catch up post (we're in Mongolia as this was written)....
The title of this post was a quote from Jim Cramer, the loud, crazy guy on CNBC. But, its only funny because its true.
Shanghai
I visited Shanghai back in August 2000, for the wedding of my friends Misi and Don. Man, how things change...
Back then, I was amazed at how modern Shanghai was. Maybe it was the propaganda the media feeds us, but back then I expected China to be a very backwards country. Instead, Shanghai turned out to be a rapidly developing city which blended the best of old Chinese culture and new Western civilization. Examples:
- The ultra high-tech Pu Dong district was newly opened, with Oriental Pearl Radio tower, its crown jewel.
- The brand new Pu Dong airport was as beautiful and efficient as any in the world.
- The subway was new, clean, and uncrowded with ice-cold air-conditioning (a true gift in the 90 degree / 90% humidity weather).
- The newly constructed roads seemed comparable in quality to Europe and America's finest.
- The Shanghai Grand Theatre (where Don and Misi's wedding was) was a modern counterpart to Carnegie Hall.
- The temples and old town didn't lose any of their old charm.
A sample of the things that have changed:
- The reasonably new Shanghai Magnetic Levitation train (aka, MagLev) between the airport and downtown city area travels at over 430 km/hr (nearly 270 mph). I think Siemens of Germany had a lot to do with the technology, but am not sure. Regardless, its a remarkable feat of engineering.
- The Pu Dong district is now home to the Jin Mao tower (3rd tallest building in the world), practically all multi-national corporations, numerous high-end hotels, the "Super Brand Mall", as well as the aforementioned Oriental Pearl TV tower.
- In 2000, the roads were filled with countless numbers of bicycles and one model of Volkswagen; and taking the way too overcrowded buses resulted in numerous bruises from the elbows of your fellow passengers. Now, very few bicycles exist, the buses are bigger, modern, and more frequent, and already wonderful subway has been expanded to more areas.
- In terms of cleanliness, building quality and appeal of stores, the malls/shopping plazas/restaurants are equal to or exceed the finest in the US.
- Ferrari sells more cars in China than any other country save the United States.
- The city just has a "buzz/excitement" about it.
To summarize, back in 2000, I thought New Delhi was about 8-10 years behind Shanghai in terms of progress/development. Now, its more like 10-15 years. No doubt this acceleration is thanks to China getting its hands on Hong Kong in 1996. But regardless, New York, London and Paris should watch out.
Beijing
As Marie mentioned in a previous post, Beijing was the first city on this trip Marie and I both visited prior to meeting each other. In the November 2003, she visited her brother, who was studying at the Beijing Aeronautical University, while I went up there for a few days after Misi/Don's wedding. My conclusion from that trip was, for all the glitz and glamour of Shanghai, Beijing was a sleepy old government town that had a ways to go (think Albany, NY). Horrible pollution, terrible congestion, old factories, communist-era architecture (save the amazing Forbidden City, Great Wall and Tiananmen Square). My stomach losing the battle to street vendor "pork-on-a-stick" didn't help (won't go into any more details, but lets just say it wasn't pretty). Well, a ways it has come.
As everyone knows, Beijing is going to host the 2008 Olympic games, which has fueled rapid construction. Marie mentioned some of the things that have changed; so I won't go into much detail. Suffice to say, we barely recognized areas we previously visited, and never could have imagined how things changed so quickly. I guess when the government can say "hey, we're putting a building up where your house is. Here's $500, get a new place", things become a lot easier.
Goldman Sachs has predicted that in terms of economic size, China will surpass Germany in the next year or two (if it hasn't already), Japan by 2015 and the US by 2041. Considering their track record, its hard to bet against them, but...
Reality sets in:
...the rapid economic expansion of China's major cities has come at the cost of the common folk.
- Energy and the environment: All that construction needs energy; of which China's primary source is coal (not the cleanest thing). During our entire stay in the country, there was a very unnatural industrial gray haze in the sky (we didn't see the sun once). Many ex-pats in Hong Kong are worried about their family's health, and many companies are opening office in Singapore to address those concerns. China has chosen to go with the same "build first, clean up later", model that was successful in Europe (for example, the Rhine River was a dead river, but is now vibrant and healthy). It'll be interesting to see if they can "clean up" on a much larger scale. Beijing is spending $13 billion USD to clean up the air around Beijing in time for the Olympics -- we'll all watch to see if it works.
Also, much has been made of China's obtaining oil from non-humanitarian regimes such as Burma, Sudan, and others. The government's position is these are sovereign nations, and have the right to rule themselves as they see fit (those who cast stones...China executed the head of food and drugs for taking bribes!!!). We'll see if anything changes under the additional pressure that comes with being a global power.
- Health Care: Most of China's inhabitants are rural farmers that historically, those in power, such as Mao, always catered to. Nowadays, the farmers aren't so happy. Families from major cities receive drastically better benefits than the villagers that make up the overwhelming majority of the population. And in the current model, once a villager, always a villager. If a person moves from the village to the city, they are not given "city" benefits. Even a child born in a city to a family that migrated from the village is considered a villager. At some point, that's gotta change -- will it take a revolution?
- Corrpution: Another thing the farmer isn't happy about is corruption. They see the developments in the cities; meanwhile, they don't have access to clean water, schooling, and medical facilities, and their local politicians are skimming the little funds that were directed towards them. With the proliferation of media and communications, from satellite television to mobile phones (China Mobile is the largest mobile phone carrier in the world, and practically everyone here has one), the people are speaking. Demonstrations in villages and small cities are on the rise, and if the government expects its meteoric rise to continue, its going to have to address this.
- Population Control: As many of you know, to control population, the Chinese are only allowed to have 1 child. In the not-too distant future this could be a problem (not enough young people to support the elderly), but its probably manageable as as many other countries have overcome this issue. Just saying it'll have an impact on GS's 2039 prediction.
Not surprisingly, GS's prediction assumes China's growth will gradually slow from the current 8% to 3.9% by 2040. Presumably, that will account for hiccups along the way. The key will be to see how the Chinese government and the financial markets recover from those hiccups.
The title of this post was a quote from Jim Cramer, the loud, crazy guy on CNBC. But, its only funny because its true.
Shanghai
I visited Shanghai back in August 2000, for the wedding of my friends Misi and Don. Man, how things change...
Back then, I was amazed at how modern Shanghai was. Maybe it was the propaganda the media feeds us, but back then I expected China to be a very backwards country. Instead, Shanghai turned out to be a rapidly developing city which blended the best of old Chinese culture and new Western civilization. Examples:
- The ultra high-tech Pu Dong district was newly opened, with Oriental Pearl Radio tower, its crown jewel.
- The brand new Pu Dong airport was as beautiful and efficient as any in the world.
- The subway was new, clean, and uncrowded with ice-cold air-conditioning (a true gift in the 90 degree / 90% humidity weather).
- The newly constructed roads seemed comparable in quality to Europe and America's finest.
- The Shanghai Grand Theatre (where Don and Misi's wedding was) was a modern counterpart to Carnegie Hall.
- The temples and old town didn't lose any of their old charm.
A sample of the things that have changed:
- The reasonably new Shanghai Magnetic Levitation train (aka, MagLev) between the airport and downtown city area travels at over 430 km/hr (nearly 270 mph). I think Siemens of Germany had a lot to do with the technology, but am not sure. Regardless, its a remarkable feat of engineering.
- The Pu Dong district is now home to the Jin Mao tower (3rd tallest building in the world), practically all multi-national corporations, numerous high-end hotels, the "Super Brand Mall", as well as the aforementioned Oriental Pearl TV tower.
- In 2000, the roads were filled with countless numbers of bicycles and one model of Volkswagen; and taking the way too overcrowded buses resulted in numerous bruises from the elbows of your fellow passengers. Now, very few bicycles exist, the buses are bigger, modern, and more frequent, and already wonderful subway has been expanded to more areas.
- In terms of cleanliness, building quality and appeal of stores, the malls/shopping plazas/restaurants are equal to or exceed the finest in the US.
- Ferrari sells more cars in China than any other country save the United States.
- The city just has a "buzz/excitement" about it.
To summarize, back in 2000, I thought New Delhi was about 8-10 years behind Shanghai in terms of progress/development. Now, its more like 10-15 years. No doubt this acceleration is thanks to China getting its hands on Hong Kong in 1996. But regardless, New York, London and Paris should watch out.
Beijing
As Marie mentioned in a previous post, Beijing was the first city on this trip Marie and I both visited prior to meeting each other. In the November 2003, she visited her brother, who was studying at the Beijing Aeronautical University, while I went up there for a few days after Misi/Don's wedding. My conclusion from that trip was, for all the glitz and glamour of Shanghai, Beijing was a sleepy old government town that had a ways to go (think Albany, NY). Horrible pollution, terrible congestion, old factories, communist-era architecture (save the amazing Forbidden City, Great Wall and Tiananmen Square). My stomach losing the battle to street vendor "pork-on-a-stick" didn't help (won't go into any more details, but lets just say it wasn't pretty). Well, a ways it has come.
As everyone knows, Beijing is going to host the 2008 Olympic games, which has fueled rapid construction. Marie mentioned some of the things that have changed; so I won't go into much detail. Suffice to say, we barely recognized areas we previously visited, and never could have imagined how things changed so quickly. I guess when the government can say "hey, we're putting a building up where your house is. Here's $500, get a new place", things become a lot easier.
Goldman Sachs has predicted that in terms of economic size, China will surpass Germany in the next year or two (if it hasn't already), Japan by 2015 and the US by 2041. Considering their track record, its hard to bet against them, but...
Reality sets in:
...the rapid economic expansion of China's major cities has come at the cost of the common folk.
- Energy and the environment: All that construction needs energy; of which China's primary source is coal (not the cleanest thing). During our entire stay in the country, there was a very unnatural industrial gray haze in the sky (we didn't see the sun once). Many ex-pats in Hong Kong are worried about their family's health, and many companies are opening office in Singapore to address those concerns. China has chosen to go with the same "build first, clean up later", model that was successful in Europe (for example, the Rhine River was a dead river, but is now vibrant and healthy). It'll be interesting to see if they can "clean up" on a much larger scale. Beijing is spending $13 billion USD to clean up the air around Beijing in time for the Olympics -- we'll all watch to see if it works.
Also, much has been made of China's obtaining oil from non-humanitarian regimes such as Burma, Sudan, and others. The government's position is these are sovereign nations, and have the right to rule themselves as they see fit (those who cast stones...China executed the head of food and drugs for taking bribes!!!). We'll see if anything changes under the additional pressure that comes with being a global power.
- Health Care: Most of China's inhabitants are rural farmers that historically, those in power, such as Mao, always catered to. Nowadays, the farmers aren't so happy. Families from major cities receive drastically better benefits than the villagers that make up the overwhelming majority of the population. And in the current model, once a villager, always a villager. If a person moves from the village to the city, they are not given "city" benefits. Even a child born in a city to a family that migrated from the village is considered a villager. At some point, that's gotta change -- will it take a revolution?
- Corrpution: Another thing the farmer isn't happy about is corruption. They see the developments in the cities; meanwhile, they don't have access to clean water, schooling, and medical facilities, and their local politicians are skimming the little funds that were directed towards them. With the proliferation of media and communications, from satellite television to mobile phones (China Mobile is the largest mobile phone carrier in the world, and practically everyone here has one), the people are speaking. Demonstrations in villages and small cities are on the rise, and if the government expects its meteoric rise to continue, its going to have to address this.
- Population Control: As many of you know, to control population, the Chinese are only allowed to have 1 child. In the not-too distant future this could be a problem (not enough young people to support the elderly), but its probably manageable as as many other countries have overcome this issue. Just saying it'll have an impact on GS's 2039 prediction.
Not surprisingly, GS's prediction assumes China's growth will gradually slow from the current 8% to 3.9% by 2040. Presumably, that will account for hiccups along the way. The key will be to see how the Chinese government and the financial markets recover from those hiccups.
One last thought on Dubai
Forgot to add in...the one thing that really separates itself from its city/state counterparts (e.g, Hong Kong, Singapore) it the multiculturalism. Singapore's inhabitants may be of many different races/religions, but overall -- the culture has been somewhat homogenized in that most everyone acts/dresses the same way (very Western).
Walking around Dubai, you'll see a mix of Westerners, Indian/Pakistani, Middle Easterners, and Africans. However, people seem comfortable allowing others to retain their native culture and religion and do not appear to feel the need to impose their beliefs.
For instance, the locals don't seem to care if a westerner wears an outfit from H&M or Zara and drinks alcoholic beverages; and ex-pats don't care if Muslims wear traditional head coverings/attend their prayer sessions 5 times a day; and more importantly, the reverse (at least that's the way it appears to be). While this seems perfectly normal to someone that was raised in the US or Europe, its a big deal in the Middle East.
Walking around Dubai, you'll see a mix of Westerners, Indian/Pakistani, Middle Easterners, and Africans. However, people seem comfortable allowing others to retain their native culture and religion and do not appear to feel the need to impose their beliefs.
For instance, the locals don't seem to care if a westerner wears an outfit from H&M or Zara and drinks alcoholic beverages; and ex-pats don't care if Muslims wear traditional head coverings/attend their prayer sessions 5 times a day; and more importantly, the reverse (at least that's the way it appears to be). While this seems perfectly normal to someone that was raised in the US or Europe, its a big deal in the Middle East.
Tuesday, July 24, 2007
Dubai: A really good deal
Another catching up post...
You may be asking "Why Dubai?" In a nutshell, we got a GREAT deal on a flight from Delhi-Dubai-Shanghai. Yes, we know it's not on the way to China, but read below to understand why we flew out of the way...
About Dubai:
Just as Singapore is the ideal "first Southeast Asian city" for westerners, Dubai is the same for the Middle East. The brainchild of Sheikh Mohammed Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum, who, like his Singaporean counterpart Lee Kuan Yew, is a true visionary.
Dubai is one of 7 regions in the United Arab Emirates (Abu Dhabi is the largest). Interesting to note, only 3% of Dubai's GDP is from oil. In the late 1970s, the Sheikh noticed that the oil reserves were quickly drying up, and concluded for his region to survive, they needed other sources of income.
Great quote:
"My grandfather rode a camel, my father rode a camel, I drive a Mercedes, my son drives a Land Rover, his son will drive a Land Rover, but his son will ride a camel."
So, he took the oil money they had, and set off to create a world-class financial center, trading hub, and tourist destination.
Most people have heard about the craziness of the Burj Al Arab hotel, the Palm Islands and Oqyana, The World (all artificial islands), but there’s a lot more going on here.
To entice financial services companies, travel-related companies, and outside foreign investment, they've implemented very friendly personal and corporate tax schemes (e.g. no personal income tax). Most residents of Dubai are ex-pats from other countries.
To get tourists in the country, they created Emirates Airlines, considered one of the finest in the world. They only fly wide-bodied aircraft (Boeing 777, Airbus A340, Airbus A330), which can haul a significant number of people and cargo simultaneously. Also, they’re building the Dubai World Central International Airport, which will have 3 times more cargo capacity that Fed Ex's largest hub (Memphis), and 50% more passenger capacity than Atlanta, the largest passenger airport in the world.
Having said all that, things aren't completely rosey. Because there are very few native Emeriti, virtually all the construction workers are imported from Pakistan and India (using a foreign guest worker program not terribly different from the one Bush proposed; I personally think he is using Dubai as a model). While the foreign guest worker program is actually pretty slick, human rights activists claim these workers are treated miserably, and have very little rights.
About that deal:
Emirates has a "Free Stopover" scheme, which allows connecting passengers to stay for upto 3 days while paying the same fare as a direct flight. Pretty slick way to advertise your city, and get people to spend money there. We took advantage of this last November, on the way back from our honeymoon (36 hours in Dubai).
Our deal this time was in Emirates First Class, with lounge access, lie-flat seats, 19 inch personal TV with over 600 channels, noise-canceling headphones, chauffeur service to/from the airport, free hotel room at the 5-star Le Meridien Dubai, and a free dinner at the Sukothai restaurant all included in the flight price that wasn't that much more than the cheapest coach ticket on a "safe" airline (read: no Ethiopian Airlines). Guess they're really trying to get people to connect through Dubai!!! Considering we were looking at 6 days in less than luxurious Trans-Siberian train, it was a no-brainer.
Okay, so we did it, it was great, we didn't see much of the city other than malls(since we'd been there before), and got to Shanghai in comfort. Post on China coming shortly...
You may be asking "Why Dubai?" In a nutshell, we got a GREAT deal on a flight from Delhi-Dubai-Shanghai. Yes, we know it's not on the way to China, but read below to understand why we flew out of the way...
About Dubai:
Just as Singapore is the ideal "first Southeast Asian city" for westerners, Dubai is the same for the Middle East. The brainchild of Sheikh Mohammed Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum, who, like his Singaporean counterpart Lee Kuan Yew, is a true visionary.
Dubai is one of 7 regions in the United Arab Emirates (Abu Dhabi is the largest). Interesting to note, only 3% of Dubai's GDP is from oil. In the late 1970s, the Sheikh noticed that the oil reserves were quickly drying up, and concluded for his region to survive, they needed other sources of income.
Great quote:
"My grandfather rode a camel, my father rode a camel, I drive a Mercedes, my son drives a Land Rover, his son will drive a Land Rover, but his son will ride a camel."
So, he took the oil money they had, and set off to create a world-class financial center, trading hub, and tourist destination.
Most people have heard about the craziness of the Burj Al Arab hotel, the Palm Islands and Oqyana, The World (all artificial islands), but there’s a lot more going on here.
To entice financial services companies, travel-related companies, and outside foreign investment, they've implemented very friendly personal and corporate tax schemes (e.g. no personal income tax). Most residents of Dubai are ex-pats from other countries.
To get tourists in the country, they created Emirates Airlines, considered one of the finest in the world. They only fly wide-bodied aircraft (Boeing 777, Airbus A340, Airbus A330), which can haul a significant number of people and cargo simultaneously. Also, they’re building the Dubai World Central International Airport, which will have 3 times more cargo capacity that Fed Ex's largest hub (Memphis), and 50% more passenger capacity than Atlanta, the largest passenger airport in the world.
Having said all that, things aren't completely rosey. Because there are very few native Emeriti, virtually all the construction workers are imported from Pakistan and India (using a foreign guest worker program not terribly different from the one Bush proposed; I personally think he is using Dubai as a model). While the foreign guest worker program is actually pretty slick, human rights activists claim these workers are treated miserably, and have very little rights.
About that deal:
Emirates has a "Free Stopover" scheme, which allows connecting passengers to stay for upto 3 days while paying the same fare as a direct flight. Pretty slick way to advertise your city, and get people to spend money there. We took advantage of this last November, on the way back from our honeymoon (36 hours in Dubai).
Our deal this time was in Emirates First Class, with lounge access, lie-flat seats, 19 inch personal TV with over 600 channels, noise-canceling headphones, chauffeur service to/from the airport, free hotel room at the 5-star Le Meridien Dubai, and a free dinner at the Sukothai restaurant all included in the flight price that wasn't that much more than the cheapest coach ticket on a "safe" airline (read: no Ethiopian Airlines). Guess they're really trying to get people to connect through Dubai!!! Considering we were looking at 6 days in less than luxurious Trans-Siberian train, it was a no-brainer.
Okay, so we did it, it was great, we didn't see much of the city other than malls(since we'd been there before), and got to Shanghai in comfort. Post on China coming shortly...
Ce n'est pas la royale suite du Lake Palace, mais...
Apres plus de 33 heures de train, nous voici a Ulan Bator, capitale de la Mongolie. Nous avons pris le train hier matin a 7h45 a Pekin. Durant les trois premieres heures de voyage, il parait qu'il est possible de voir la muraille de Chine, mais a cause de la pollution, nous n'avons rien vu... Le voyage est passe relativement vite, meme si nous sommes restes coinces 6 heures a la frontiere, entre 20h et 2h du matin, pour le controle de passeport et pour changer les roues du train (les rails n'ont pas la meme largeur en Mongolie et en Chine, et a la frontiere et chaque wagon doit avoir ses roues remplacees -- c'est assez impressionnant a regarder). Le seul ennui est qu'ils ferment les toilettes pendant ce temps, et qu'on ne peut sortir du train !
Au reveil, changement de scene... Les paysages gris et pollues de Chine ont fait place au desert et a un ciel bleu azur. Parfois, entre les dunes, on peut voir des fermiers nomades sur leurs chevaux.
Demain nous partons pour deux jours dans le desert de Gobi. Nous allons dormir chez l'habitant, dans une yourte (aussi appelee ger en Mongolie) et faire du cheval (ca promet, car ni l'un ni l'autre ne sommes montes sur un cheval de notre vie... (sauf si faire du poney a la Bourboule quand j'avais 3 ans compte
Pour ceux qui me connaissent un peu, vous pouvez imaginer que je dois pas mal prendre sur moi pendant cette partie du voyage (j'imagine les sourires...) entre le train de nuit sans douche, la nuit dans une tente, le mouton aux repas, etc... Mais, c'est une experience...
Au reveil, changement de scene... Les paysages gris et pollues de Chine ont fait place au desert et a un ciel bleu azur. Parfois, entre les dunes, on peut voir des fermiers nomades sur leurs chevaux.
Demain nous partons pour deux jours dans le desert de Gobi. Nous allons dormir chez l'habitant, dans une yourte (aussi appelee ger en Mongolie) et faire du cheval (ca promet, car ni l'un ni l'autre ne sommes montes sur un cheval de notre vie... (sauf si faire du poney a la Bourboule quand j'avais 3 ans compte
Pour ceux qui me connaissent un peu, vous pouvez imaginer que je dois pas mal prendre sur moi pendant cette partie du voyage (j'imagine les sourires...) entre le train de nuit sans douche, la nuit dans une tente, le mouton aux repas, etc... Mais, c'est une experience...
Sunday, July 22, 2007
Saturday, July 21, 2007
India: Incredible in more ways than one
We're in Beijing as this is written and catching up on old posts. Its a long one, so hopefully worth the wait.
As Marie mentioned in a previous posting, its been 9.5 years since I last visited India. Suffice to say, things have changed a LOT. Each of my previous trips to India has consisted of traveling from city-to-city visiting family (with the exception of 1983/1984, when I was in school). Sightseeing was never really part of the plan. However, since mom wasn't with us for this trip, we decided combine visiting family with taking in some of the history of this 5000 year old country.
Here is an executive summary of each of the places we visited:
About Delhi/Agra:
The Good:
- New Delhi is a very green city, with vast amounts of forests and parks.
- Infrastructure improvements: New Delhi now has a modern and rapidly expanding metro/underground. Also, all the public buses, cabs and auto rickshaws are powered by compressed natural gas. And finally, a fancy modern airport is currently under construction.
- The architecture, from the government buildings (former British Imperial area) to the numerous temples, mosques and forts (culminating with the Taj Mahal, recently named as one of the 7 wonders of the world), is absolutely fascinating.
The Bad:
- It didn't seem possible that traffic could get any worse than it was, but it has. Apparently, each year an additional 100k vehicles are added to Delhi's roads.
- While New Delhi is certainly modernizing, Old Delhi is still in a time warp. Interesting for tourists to visit, but not so nice for the people that live there.
- The insane drivers of the Delhi bus system (aka, Blue Line) are responsible for over 60 deaths in the year 2007.
About Chennai:
The Good:
- Chennai really appears to be a rapidly developing city. The most modern restaurants, hotels and bars in the city are reasonably similar to those you'll find in other cities.
- I gained a newfound appreciation for southern Indian food (typically I prefer northern Indian food).
- Bizarre thing related to Chennai, but my French improved quite a bit. Obviously, hanging around Karl, Xavier and Marie helped out.
The Bad:
- My Hindi was useless in Chennai, as most people in the city speak Tamil. I don't know this for a fact, but would dare say English is more widely spoken than Hindi.
- Chennai is so absurdly hot, I now understand why my friend/co-worker Savi, who grew up in Chennai, turns on a space heater in our 68 degree (20 degrees celsius) office.
- The traffic and overpopulation wasn't as bad as New Delhi, but lets just say its competitive.
About Rajasthan:
The Good:
- Rajasthan is chock-full-of-history, including many restored/unrestored attractions and UNESCO world heritage sites; it shouldn't be missed by anyone. Apparently, Bill Clinton is a huge fan of the state.
- Jaipur was the first "planned" city in India (1727)
- The Taj Lake Palace is one of the most spectacular hotels in the world.
The Bad:
- Bad for us: We spent so much time in the Lake Palace, we didn't get to see any of the wonderful sites in Udaipur, which is considered the most romantic city in India.
- A prolonged drought in the area from a few years ago has really taken its toll on the ecosystem of the region.
- While Jaipur was the first planned city in the world, the city's infrastructure hasn't changed as the requirements have evolved over the past 280 years.
About Ladakh:
The Good:
- The Himalayas are HUGE. Pictures can't express the sheer scale of these mountains. To arrive at Leh airport, the plane must weave its way between mountain peaks. Very cool stuff.
- There are a large number of Tibetan refugees in Ladakh. While that normally wouldn't go under "the good", its nice to know there are secular nations that allow them to do their thing. (note: can't test links in this section as websites that reference Tibet are blocked by the Chinese government)
- Ladakh is home to the world's highest airport (Leh at 11.5k feet), two of the world's highest golf courses (Leh Golf Course and a military course), and the highest motorable mountain pass (Khardung La at 18.3k feet).
The Bad:
- The air is so thin at 11k - 18.5k feet, it takes about 30 hours to get acclimatized. For reference about how high that is, the flight from New York - Providence usually cruises at 18k feet. Also, the impact 1 car has on air quality at this altitude is much higher than any other place in the world.
- Most tourists in the region are western hippies "seeking salvation" from monks, such as the Dali Lama.
- Sadly, the ongoing border disputes between India-Pakistan in the state of Jammu-Kashmir has made it unsafe for people to visit one of the most beautiful parts of the world. Thanks to a large military presence, Ladakh, the eastern most portion of the state of Jammu-Kashmir, which shares a disputed border with China) is safe; however, the rest of Jammu-Kashmir is said to be absolutely stunning.
About family:
- Through her exquisite cooking, heaping portions and "won't take no for an answer" demeanor, in only 3 days, our Aunt Shipra was able to undue 2 months worth of weight loss.
- It was wonderful to get to finally meet Karl. His apartment is really nice, and I hope he continues to watch TV once his assignment in India concludes (he didn't own a TV when living in Paris; something about going out and having a life).
- Despite being in the their 70s, our Uncle Dev and Aunt Shipra have FAR more energy than we do (that's more a compliment to them vs. our laziness).
- Despite being in my mid-30s, everyone in my family acts as if I'm 11 years old.
About India:
The Good:
- My cousin Sanjeev described India as a collection of different regions, each with their own history, culture and language -- all under one roof. And there's a lot of truth to that; you can't visit one region and say "you've seen India".
- In 1997, the only practical car options were the Ambasaddor, Maruti 800 and Maruti/Suzuki Esteem. Nowadays, every major manufacturer has a presence here, and consumers have a much larger set of options at all levels of the pricing spectrum. Even luxury brands such as Hermes, Louis Vuitton, etc. have recently established stores in India.
- The economy is growing at about 9-10% a year, and much of that wealth is going to a rapidly expanding middle class.
The Bad:
- Corruption is rampant throughout the government. In fact, many multi-national corporations increase their contingency budget to account for "new/unknown licensing issues" (e.g, kickbacks).
- Over-population is taking a massive toll on the country's ecosystem.
- While the things are progressing in the country, given all the resources available to them, the country should be progressing much faster than it really is (more on this in a future post)
Uncle Dev summarized it best when he said "Incredible India", the Ministry of Tourism's slogan, is very appropriate, as it can be applied two different ways:
- You won't believe the history, the cultures, the beauty.
- You won't believe the traffic, the government bureaucracy, the overpopulation.
As Marie mentioned in a previous posting, its been 9.5 years since I last visited India. Suffice to say, things have changed a LOT. Each of my previous trips to India has consisted of traveling from city-to-city visiting family (with the exception of 1983/1984, when I was in school). Sightseeing was never really part of the plan. However, since mom wasn't with us for this trip, we decided combine visiting family with taking in some of the history of this 5000 year old country.
Here is an executive summary of each of the places we visited:
About Delhi/Agra:
The Good:
- New Delhi is a very green city, with vast amounts of forests and parks.
- Infrastructure improvements: New Delhi now has a modern and rapidly expanding metro/underground. Also, all the public buses, cabs and auto rickshaws are powered by compressed natural gas. And finally, a fancy modern airport is currently under construction.
- The architecture, from the government buildings (former British Imperial area) to the numerous temples, mosques and forts (culminating with the Taj Mahal, recently named as one of the 7 wonders of the world), is absolutely fascinating.
The Bad:
- It didn't seem possible that traffic could get any worse than it was, but it has. Apparently, each year an additional 100k vehicles are added to Delhi's roads.
- While New Delhi is certainly modernizing, Old Delhi is still in a time warp. Interesting for tourists to visit, but not so nice for the people that live there.
- The insane drivers of the Delhi bus system (aka, Blue Line) are responsible for over 60 deaths in the year 2007.
About Chennai:
The Good:
- Chennai really appears to be a rapidly developing city. The most modern restaurants, hotels and bars in the city are reasonably similar to those you'll find in other cities.
- I gained a newfound appreciation for southern Indian food (typically I prefer northern Indian food).
- Bizarre thing related to Chennai, but my French improved quite a bit. Obviously, hanging around Karl, Xavier and Marie helped out.
The Bad:
- My Hindi was useless in Chennai, as most people in the city speak Tamil. I don't know this for a fact, but would dare say English is more widely spoken than Hindi.
- Chennai is so absurdly hot, I now understand why my friend/co-worker Savi, who grew up in Chennai, turns on a space heater in our 68 degree (20 degrees celsius) office.
- The traffic and overpopulation wasn't as bad as New Delhi, but lets just say its competitive.
About Rajasthan:
The Good:
- Rajasthan is chock-full-of-history, including many restored/unrestored attractions and UNESCO world heritage sites; it shouldn't be missed by anyone. Apparently, Bill Clinton is a huge fan of the state.
- Jaipur was the first "planned" city in India (1727)
- The Taj Lake Palace is one of the most spectacular hotels in the world.
The Bad:
- Bad for us: We spent so much time in the Lake Palace, we didn't get to see any of the wonderful sites in Udaipur, which is considered the most romantic city in India.
- A prolonged drought in the area from a few years ago has really taken its toll on the ecosystem of the region.
- While Jaipur was the first planned city in the world, the city's infrastructure hasn't changed as the requirements have evolved over the past 280 years.
About Ladakh:
The Good:
- The Himalayas are HUGE. Pictures can't express the sheer scale of these mountains. To arrive at Leh airport, the plane must weave its way between mountain peaks. Very cool stuff.
- There are a large number of Tibetan refugees in Ladakh. While that normally wouldn't go under "the good", its nice to know there are secular nations that allow them to do their thing. (note: can't test links in this section as websites that reference Tibet are blocked by the Chinese government)
- Ladakh is home to the world's highest airport (Leh at 11.5k feet), two of the world's highest golf courses (Leh Golf Course and a military course), and the highest motorable mountain pass (Khardung La at 18.3k feet).
The Bad:
- The air is so thin at 11k - 18.5k feet, it takes about 30 hours to get acclimatized. For reference about how high that is, the flight from New York - Providence usually cruises at 18k feet. Also, the impact 1 car has on air quality at this altitude is much higher than any other place in the world.
- Most tourists in the region are western hippies "seeking salvation" from monks, such as the Dali Lama.
- Sadly, the ongoing border disputes between India-Pakistan in the state of Jammu-Kashmir has made it unsafe for people to visit one of the most beautiful parts of the world. Thanks to a large military presence, Ladakh, the eastern most portion of the state of Jammu-Kashmir, which shares a disputed border with China) is safe; however, the rest of Jammu-Kashmir is said to be absolutely stunning.
About family:
- Through her exquisite cooking, heaping portions and "won't take no for an answer" demeanor, in only 3 days, our Aunt Shipra was able to undue 2 months worth of weight loss.
- It was wonderful to get to finally meet Karl. His apartment is really nice, and I hope he continues to watch TV once his assignment in India concludes (he didn't own a TV when living in Paris; something about going out and having a life).
- Despite being in the their 70s, our Uncle Dev and Aunt Shipra have FAR more energy than we do (that's more a compliment to them vs. our laziness).
- Despite being in my mid-30s, everyone in my family acts as if I'm 11 years old.
About India:
The Good:
- My cousin Sanjeev described India as a collection of different regions, each with their own history, culture and language -- all under one roof. And there's a lot of truth to that; you can't visit one region and say "you've seen India".
- In 1997, the only practical car options were the Ambasaddor, Maruti 800 and Maruti/Suzuki Esteem. Nowadays, every major manufacturer has a presence here, and consumers have a much larger set of options at all levels of the pricing spectrum. Even luxury brands such as Hermes, Louis Vuitton, etc. have recently established stores in India.
- The economy is growing at about 9-10% a year, and much of that wealth is going to a rapidly expanding middle class.
The Bad:
- Corruption is rampant throughout the government. In fact, many multi-national corporations increase their contingency budget to account for "new/unknown licensing issues" (e.g, kickbacks).
- Over-population is taking a massive toll on the country's ecosystem.
- While the things are progressing in the country, given all the resources available to them, the country should be progressing much faster than it really is (more on this in a future post)
Uncle Dev summarized it best when he said "Incredible India", the Ministry of Tourism's slogan, is very appropriate, as it can be applied two different ways:
- You won't believe the history, the cultures, the beauty.
- You won't believe the traffic, the government bureaucracy, the overpopulation.
Trying to enjoy our last days with showers...
I'm going to write a bit in english today as my husband has been quite lazy lately...
After an overnight ride on the Shanghai / Beijing express, we finally arrived in the Chinese capital this morning. The ride was pretty smooth in comparison to the transiberian -- which I've have started dreading (more about that later)
We were really lucky as we booked a hotel for about $60 and were upgraded at no cost to the Beijing Regent hotel which cost over three times more. Let's enjoy the luxury while it lasts...
Both Nick and I have been to Beijing before. Nick was there in 2000 and I was there in 2003 where I visited my brother who was studying there for 6 months. Just like Shanghai, the place has changed TREMENDOUSLY in a few years. We could barely recognize some of the areas. In the Forbidden City, for example, they have added tourist stores, trees everywhere, paddle boats... The taxis also are different; they used to be rusty tiny chinese cars, and now it's only VolksWagen... They are building shopping malls like crazy and destroying the hutongs.
On Monday, we are taking the transiberian train, and today I had my first breakdown, as I had the bad idea to look at photos on the Internet. I feel that Nick and I are paying for 10 days of dirt, smell, disgusting food, rudeness, sleepless nights whereas we could be resting on a nice resort by the beach instead... Are we masochist?
I think my friend Raphaelle here would say that I should just enjoy the moment, instead of thinking of things to come... Maybe she's right... but still, I think the transiberian train is going to stink (literally)
After an overnight ride on the Shanghai / Beijing express, we finally arrived in the Chinese capital this morning. The ride was pretty smooth in comparison to the transiberian -- which I've have started dreading (more about that later)
We were really lucky as we booked a hotel for about $60 and were upgraded at no cost to the Beijing Regent hotel which cost over three times more. Let's enjoy the luxury while it lasts...
Both Nick and I have been to Beijing before. Nick was there in 2000 and I was there in 2003 where I visited my brother who was studying there for 6 months. Just like Shanghai, the place has changed TREMENDOUSLY in a few years. We could barely recognize some of the areas. In the Forbidden City, for example, they have added tourist stores, trees everywhere, paddle boats... The taxis also are different; they used to be rusty tiny chinese cars, and now it's only VolksWagen... They are building shopping malls like crazy and destroying the hutongs.
On Monday, we are taking the transiberian train, and today I had my first breakdown, as I had the bad idea to look at photos on the Internet. I feel that Nick and I are paying for 10 days of dirt, smell, disgusting food, rudeness, sleepless nights whereas we could be resting on a nice resort by the beach instead... Are we masochist?
I think my friend Raphaelle here would say that I should just enjoy the moment, instead of thinking of things to come... Maybe she's right... but still, I think the transiberian train is going to stink (literally)
Wednesday, July 18, 2007
All our photos from India online now (4 albums) !
Nous venons enfin de mettre en ligne nos dernieres photos d'Inde. Il y a 4 albums:
- Delhi et Agra
- Rajasthan (Jaipur et Udaipur)
- Ladakh (nord de l'Inde)
- Old Delhi
Nous sommes maintenant a Shanghai. Nous comptions aller a Zhouzhuang (Venise chinois) mais nous nous sommes reveilles a 11h ce matin ! Hier, en arrivant, nous avons pris le Maglev, train de l'aeroport jusqu'a la ville. C'est le train a sustentation magnetique le plus rapide au monde. Il est alles jusqu'a 431 km/h durant notre parcours. Tres tres impressionant !
Hier soir, nous nous sommes balades pres du Bund et rue de Nankin, selon les recommendations de Julien. Nick etait alles a Shanghai en 2000 pour le mariage d'une amie et selon lui, en 7 ans la ville a enormement change. Pour ma part, je suis vraiment ebahie par la modernite de la ville ! Je ne m'attendais pas a tant...
- Delhi et Agra
- Rajasthan (Jaipur et Udaipur)
- Ladakh (nord de l'Inde)
- Old Delhi
Nous sommes maintenant a Shanghai. Nous comptions aller a Zhouzhuang (Venise chinois) mais nous nous sommes reveilles a 11h ce matin ! Hier, en arrivant, nous avons pris le Maglev, train de l'aeroport jusqu'a la ville. C'est le train a sustentation magnetique le plus rapide au monde. Il est alles jusqu'a 431 km/h durant notre parcours. Tres tres impressionant !
Hier soir, nous nous sommes balades pres du Bund et rue de Nankin, selon les recommendations de Julien. Nick etait alles a Shanghai en 2000 pour le mariage d'une amie et selon lui, en 7 ans la ville a enormement change. Pour ma part, je suis vraiment ebahie par la modernite de la ville ! Je ne m'attendais pas a tant...
Tuesday, July 17, 2007
Embarquement immediat a destination de Shanghai
Apres pres de trois semaines en Inde, nous voici a Dubai, en courte escale avant de rejoindre Shanghai, puis Pekin. Cela fait, une fois de plus, du bien de se retrouver dans une ville moderne, meme si ce n'est que pour quelques heures (12 heures pour etre exacte). Nous avons passe un excellent sejour dans le Ladakh. Les paysages sont incroyables, comme vous pourrez bientot le constater en regardant nos photos. L'atterissage est surement l'un des plus impressionant... L'avion doit pratiquement faire des zigzags entre les montagnes pour atterir dans la vallee de Leh, paysage lunaire. La securite est renforcee pour tous les vols a destination du Kashmir a cause du conflit avec le Pakistan, et l'armee est partout dans Leh.
Oups... On appelle notre vol... Nous devons embarquer... Destination Shanghai. J'espere que blogger.com marchera en Chine (ce n'est pas gagne avec les problemes de censure)
En ce qui concerne les photos, elles seront TRES BIENTOT en ligne.
Oups... On appelle notre vol... Nous devons embarquer... Destination Shanghai. J'espere que blogger.com marchera en Chine (ce n'est pas gagne avec les problemes de censure)
En ce qui concerne les photos, elles seront TRES BIENTOT en ligne.
Tuesday, July 10, 2007
Il nous faudra revenir au Rajasthan...
Je revais de visiter le Rajasthan et j'ai l'impression de n'avoir rien vu... Mais je ne vais pas me plaindre ! Apres deux jours a Jaipur, nous sommes maintenant a Udaipur, ou la maman de Nick nous a offert un sejour a l'Hotel Lake Palace pour son anniversaire. Nick avait sejourne avec sa famille dans cet hotel en 1983 et en avait garde un excellent souvenir! Peut-etre avez-vous vu cet hotel dans le James Bond Octopussy ? L'hotel a ete construit en 1756 sur une petite ile du Lac Pichola. Il servit longtemps de palais d'ete aux seigneurs d'Udaipur avant de devenir un hotel de luxe, en 1963.
Si luxueux que nous ne sommes pratiquement pas sortis!
Profitons-en bien car nous partons demain pour Delhi, puis Leh (Himalaya), ou nous serons certainement moins tente de passer nos journees enfermes dans une guesthouse !
De nouvelles photos: Langkawi et Madras
Monday, July 9, 2007
Random thoughts (in no particular order)
The Filet-O-Fish and 6 piece Chicken McNuggets meals are the coveted #1 and #2 McDonald's Value meals in Singapore (as opposed to America where they are banished to #9 and #10). Screw all you haters that say no one buys the Filet-O-Fish.
Walking through Luang Prabang, Laos really feels like walking in the year 1920.
Everyone should have their nose hairs clipped by a barber in the streets of Hanoi; so when someone asks you at a dinner party, you can answer "Why yes, I have".
While many people predict the imminent demise of the western empire, our friend Richard believes we will retain a leadership position for quite some time, as he feels the rest of the world is lagging in innovation. After seeing how customer service representatives in Southeast Asia handle situations they haven't been trained for, we tend to agree with him.
Having said that, there is no doubt that the rest of the world is catching up very quickly, led by old fashioned hard work and western financial investments.
Marie has the uncanny ability to find the most expensive hotel/lodging in a given city. That doesn't mean we necessarily stay there...
The United Nations may no longer have the political clout they once did, but unquestionably, they have a place when it comes to preserving historic sites, promoting education and coordinating humanitarian aid.
The saga that is Paris Hilton is covered by every TV station and newspaper around the world. Why?
When you break it down to the bare essentials, a country needs to provide its citizens with clean water, shelter, food and clothing, followed closely by primary education and medicine.
You haven't lived until you've experienced the warm smile of a Laotian kid saying "Saba-dee", or a group of Vietnamese kids walking up to you and saying "Hello".
Its may be a cultural thing, but seeing dog meat on a menu will make most people (including yours truly) sick to their stomach.
Malaysia is second to only southern California in the number of customized cars. Having said that, lets just say the quality of customization is very low on the maturity scale.
Many brands popular in the 80s (e.g, B.U.M Equipment, Kenny Rogers Roasters, Orange Julius) have an usually large presence in Southeast Asia. Granted, its not a terribly large presence, but when it comes to these brands, ANY presence qualifies as unusually large.
Many people know the Sultan of Brunei is among the richest fellows in the world. But, could you spot Brunei on a map? Until this trip, me neither.
We really wanted to visit Myanmar (formerly known as Burma), until we learned how the government treats its citizens. Hard to justify giving even a dime to such a horrible regime.
Its not easy to find books/magazines in Laos and Vietnam, both communist-led countries. Wonder why?
We've completed over 33% of our trip, and it has more than exceeded either of our expectations.
Walking through Luang Prabang, Laos really feels like walking in the year 1920.
Everyone should have their nose hairs clipped by a barber in the streets of Hanoi; so when someone asks you at a dinner party, you can answer "Why yes, I have".
While many people predict the imminent demise of the western empire, our friend Richard believes we will retain a leadership position for quite some time, as he feels the rest of the world is lagging in innovation. After seeing how customer service representatives in Southeast Asia handle situations they haven't been trained for, we tend to agree with him.
Having said that, there is no doubt that the rest of the world is catching up very quickly, led by old fashioned hard work and western financial investments.
Marie has the uncanny ability to find the most expensive hotel/lodging in a given city. That doesn't mean we necessarily stay there...
The United Nations may no longer have the political clout they once did, but unquestionably, they have a place when it comes to preserving historic sites, promoting education and coordinating humanitarian aid.
The saga that is Paris Hilton is covered by every TV station and newspaper around the world. Why?
When you break it down to the bare essentials, a country needs to provide its citizens with clean water, shelter, food and clothing, followed closely by primary education and medicine.
You haven't lived until you've experienced the warm smile of a Laotian kid saying "Saba-dee", or a group of Vietnamese kids walking up to you and saying "Hello".
Its may be a cultural thing, but seeing dog meat on a menu will make most people (including yours truly) sick to their stomach.
Malaysia is second to only southern California in the number of customized cars. Having said that, lets just say the quality of customization is very low on the maturity scale.
Many brands popular in the 80s (e.g, B.U.M Equipment, Kenny Rogers Roasters, Orange Julius) have an usually large presence in Southeast Asia. Granted, its not a terribly large presence, but when it comes to these brands, ANY presence qualifies as unusually large.
Many people know the Sultan of Brunei is among the richest fellows in the world. But, could you spot Brunei on a map? Until this trip, me neither.
We really wanted to visit Myanmar (formerly known as Burma), until we learned how the government treats its citizens. Hard to justify giving even a dime to such a horrible regime.
Its not easy to find books/magazines in Laos and Vietnam, both communist-led countries. Wonder why?
We've completed over 33% of our trip, and it has more than exceeded either of our expectations.
Sunday, July 8, 2007
Mon mari est un imposteur
Le temps passe vite. Cela fait plus de 2 mois que nous avons quitte New York, et nous ne voyons pas le temps passer. Nous sommes arrives en Inde il y a un peu plus d'une semaine. Nous avons commence notre sejour a Madras... ou Karl ne nous attendait PAS. Nous avions en effet decide de lui faire la surprise de notre visite avec la complicite de Xavier. Ca a paru lui faire plaisir... ou il est tres bon acteur ;-) Apres 3 jours a Madras, nous sommes partis a Delhi 4 jours pour rendre visite a la famille de Nick. Nous etions heberges chez son oncle et sa tante. Nick n'etant pas retourne en Inde depuis 1998, n'avait pas vu sa famille depuis pres de 9 ans ! De Delhi, nous sommes alles passer une journee a Agra, ou se trouve le Taj Mahal. S'il y a un truc que je realise depuis que nous sommes ici, c'est que Nick n'est pas un vrai Indien:
- il ne porte pas de moustache
- les indiens ne le comprennent pas quand il essaie de parler hindi
- il se lave
- il n'a pas porte de chaussures Bata depuis ses neufs ans
- il ne fait pas de brushing
Nous sommes maintenant au Rajasthan. Nous sommes arrives hier a Jaipur et partons demain pour Udaipur. Apres Delhi et notre emploi du temps strict et minute, nous avons eu besoin de prendre notre temps pour visiter la ville. Personnellement, je resterais bien une journee de plus a Jaipur car j'ai l'impression que nous n'avons pas vu grand chose... Malheureusement, nos billets d'avion ne peuvent etre changes.
- il ne porte pas de moustache
- les indiens ne le comprennent pas quand il essaie de parler hindi
- il se lave
- il n'a pas porte de chaussures Bata depuis ses neufs ans
- il ne fait pas de brushing
Nous sommes maintenant au Rajasthan. Nous sommes arrives hier a Jaipur et partons demain pour Udaipur. Apres Delhi et notre emploi du temps strict et minute, nous avons eu besoin de prendre notre temps pour visiter la ville. Personnellement, je resterais bien une journee de plus a Jaipur car j'ai l'impression que nous n'avons pas vu grand chose... Malheureusement, nos billets d'avion ne peuvent etre changes.
Saturday, July 7, 2007
C'est bien avoir un beauf dans le famille
Bonjour et bienvenue a ma premier post en francais. Mes excuses sinceres pour les nombreuses erreurs grammaticales.
Nous voyagons a Chennai visiter Karl, le cousin de Marie. Il est en assignment pour 4 ans comme le directeur de l'Alliance Francais en Chennai.
Alors, pourquoi c'est bien etre beauf? Karl a le plus de livres d'art et de litterature que tout personne dans le monde; et il ya tout en condicions perfect. C'est étonnant!!! Mais, si vous connaissez Karl, vous avez il n'est pas technique.
En Chennai, Karl a un voiture s'appelle Tata Indica. Un jour, son chauffeur Suresh dit que les embrayage de la voiture doivent être changés, en raison de l'usure, et les prix est $200USD. Deux mechaniques different dit meme chose. Comme vous le savez sans doute, le coulour de peau de Karl est blanc. En India, peau blanc traduire a "tout le monde essaie de t'arnaquer". Alors, le beauf, errr, mechanique amateur (moi) examine le voiture, et le problem est juste le cable de embrayage que coute $10USD!!!! Voila!!!
Ma comprehension c'est que Michel en Toulouse (l'oncle du Marie) est aussi bon mechanique (il apprecie aussi le tuning quand il est jeune), mais les fait que nous avons deux poilu est simplement de coincidence :-)
Et merci Julien, pour enseigner la signification du mot, beauf.
Nous voyagons a Chennai visiter Karl, le cousin de Marie. Il est en assignment pour 4 ans comme le directeur de l'Alliance Francais en Chennai.
Alors, pourquoi c'est bien etre beauf? Karl a le plus de livres d'art et de litterature que tout personne dans le monde; et il ya tout en condicions perfect. C'est étonnant!!! Mais, si vous connaissez Karl, vous avez il n'est pas technique.
En Chennai, Karl a un voiture s'appelle Tata Indica. Un jour, son chauffeur Suresh dit que les embrayage de la voiture doivent être changés, en raison de l'usure, et les prix est $200USD. Deux mechaniques different dit meme chose. Comme vous le savez sans doute, le coulour de peau de Karl est blanc. En India, peau blanc traduire a "tout le monde essaie de t'arnaquer". Alors, le beauf, errr, mechanique amateur (moi) examine le voiture, et le problem est juste le cable de embrayage que coute $10USD!!!! Voila!!!
Ma comprehension c'est que Michel en Toulouse (l'oncle du Marie) est aussi bon mechanique (il apprecie aussi le tuning quand il est jeune), mais les fait que nous avons deux poilu est simplement de coincidence :-)
Et merci Julien, pour enseigner la signification du mot, beauf.
News photos
It's been such a long time since we've written anything in the blog... Sorry about that! We have been in India for the past week visiting Karl (my cousin) in Chennai and Nick's family in Delhi. We are right now and in Jaipur, Rajasthan and taking advantage of the relatively fast connection at the hotel to post some new photos online. Promise we will post more news on the blog very soon. In the mean time, check out our 2 photos albums from the island of Borneo (Malaysia).
Voici (enfin) de nouvelles photos: Kuching et Kinabalu (2 albums)
Voici (enfin) de nouvelles photos: Kuching et Kinabalu (2 albums)
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