Monaco May 2006

Darn my luck! I had the great opportunity to actually be in Monaco for 5 days in May, but alas I worked the whole time and only managed to spend a small amount of time exploring the city. My visit was about two weeks prior to the Grand Prix and if you look closely in the picture pos ted you will see the seating that has been put of for the event.

Did you know that the Principality of Monaco is the second-smallest independent state in the world, after Vatican City? For most, Monaco brings to mind images of; Grace Kelly, the sophisticate jet set playing in the sun, casinos, and maybe even the Monaco Grand Prix. Well the city does not disappoint and I think I will have to find a way to spend some true vacation time on the French Rivera as weather is perfect, the beaches are beautiful, the shopping is great (but expensive) and yes the night life is lively!

Warsaw Poland

Sigh…. always so much to do and never enough time. Time to get caught up as so much has happened in the last few months.

First up is Warsaw. I attended a meeting in Warsaw late last February. I am sorry to say that the trip came at the end of a three week stretch of travel so I really did not take the time to explore the city as much as I would have liked. I was getting very tired of the travel and wanted just wanted to get home.

Even though the visit to Warsaw was short, I did find the city enjoyable. The Polish people I met were full of smiles and seemed very warm. One interesting fact about Warsaw is that 85% of the city was destroyed during WWII. The population dropped from 1.3 million people to 422,000 during the same period. The communist post war government solved the housing shortage problem that ensured as people returned to the city by dotting the land with cold concrete box type apartment construction. Many of the buildings are still grey and give of a cold soulless feel. However, the city center is alive and full of construction. The attached picture is a shopping mall that was under construction right across the street from my hotel.

On a short break from work, I went out with a colleague to explore a little and do some shopping. My colleague wanted to find some crystal artwork, so we hired a driver and hit a few shopping areas. You really start to appreciate the sheer amount of choice we have in America after visiting four different shopping and finding next to nothing worth purchasing. After the fourth stop, we did find a small shop with some very nice pieces from a renowned Polish crystal artist. The prices were great and we both purchased a few items (see 2nd attached picture)

I was looking to purchase some high end polish Vodka that could not be found in the US, but was told that the Water in Poland is so bad that the majority of Vodkas are poor. Each store we stopped at offered Belvedere as their best; yes it is very good, but I can buy that at home easily.

Recent Trips

In February I was in Thailand for two weeks (which I have written about below) and also spent a few days in Warsaw Poland for work. I will write about Warsaw in the next few days.

I just got back from spending a week in the UK. I spent a couple of days in London and then went to Wales for a meeting. The weather was typical English dark and cloudy with showers that came and went during the day. I do like London, but don't think I will even really explore the UK country side on a holiday trip. Very green and expansive, but other than Stonehenge and a few Castles spread throughout the countryside, there is really not much to see. The hotel I stayed at was over 900 years old. It used to be a large manor house with a small church in the front. Sorry you can't see the Church it is located just right of the main building in the picture. The church is still active and used. The main reason people visit the hotel is for golf. I think after a round or two of golf I would be bored.

I did notice something new in London on this trip. Every time I approached a crosswalk, the cars would stop to let me cross. One time I was looking up at the US embassy and did not even notice that traffic had stopped to let me cross; very polite those Londoners. Try waiting at a cross walk in most large US cities and you might wait all day. haha..

I do get a nice break for the Month of April, but May will be a big month for trips. I will spend one week helping to facilitate a meeting just south of Monaco! From there I will go to Beijing for a few days to see the sights (great wall, Forbidden City) and then to Tianjin for a meeting. Next up is Hong Kong for a day before coming home. The whole trip is two weeks and will actually take me around the world! So look for some new posts during the Month of May.

Greg

Thailand Sunset

Just thought I would share a sunset picture taken back in February from the deck to my room down in Phuket.

The real reason to visit Bangkok - Shopping

Between work and personal travel I have managed to visit Thailand four times in the last two+ years. Besides owning a timeshare there, people always ask, so why Thailand? You could list a number of things that make Thailand a worthwhile country to visit. First and foremost, your money goes a long way there; you can eat and live like a royalty for less that 1/2 the price you would spend in Europe. The beaches are beautiful, the Thai people smile and are friendly, service levels are much much higher than found in the states, and Thai food is sooo good. But the real fun is the combination of your dollar value and the quality of goods in Thailand. The shopping, if you know where to go, is some of the best in the world. The bowl in the picture is made of Afzelia hardwood and the artist has a stall in the weekend market Section 10 Soi 19/4. I purchased one last year when I was there.

First a few words about barganing. Yes I know most Americans don't like to bargain, but if you do not bargain you are paying way more than even the Thai's expect you to pay. In the night markets you can expect to bargain down around 70%! Yes you read that right - 70%. If somethign is 1,000 baht, offer 200, stick to your price and then let them work you to 300. If they let you walk away you may have gone too low. No worries, many of the stands in the night markets have the same goods, so simply raise your price a little at the next stop. When they tell you the price you laugh and say "what are you crazy"? Too expensive!!! I paid only x baht just yesterday!! The price is x baht and that is what I will pay. They will laugh with you and try to work you up, but stick to your guns and just walk away. You can always come back and raise your offer a little more. Most times they will not let you walk away.

Ok so where do you shop?

Patpong Road Night Market: I guess everyone should see this area at least once, but believe me that the reason to go is to watch and see all the crazieness around you. The shopping is really not that good. Most stands have the same goods over and over. Once you have passed a block or two you have really seen most of the things you will see. You can easily find fake luxury purses / watches and plenty of cds to purchase. However, Patpong is a little on the seedy side.

Suan Lum Night Barzaar: This is the official night market. Nice and clean, plenty of goods to choose from. A large food court and even live music to watch. This market is open 7 nights a week and is easy to find. If you want to shop at night this is the plance to go.

Chatuchak Weekend Market: This is my favorite place to shop. This market is only open on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. It is easy to find as you only need to take the Skytrain to the end of the Mochit line. Just think I am going to buy Mochit haha.. The actual market boasts up to 15,000 stalls! There is no way you will see everything in a day. The heat and crowds will wear you down well before you can cover even 25% of the market. Last time I was there we set a record of 6 hours in the market. This was only done by having enough people to have a base at a restaurant stall and to take turns watching the purchases and resting. Make sure you wear light clothes, drink lots of water, wear a sun hat and be prepared for large crowds. Lastly, this market is considered a wholesale market, so you will be able to negotiate down but not nearly as much as in the night markets. This will be evident when you notice that the prices are much lower to begin with.

I purchased the two oil paitings you see in the attached picture at the weekend market and framed them at home.

This link has more about the weeknd market with a map. Look for the legend on the bottom and then click the see map icon.
http://www.thailand.com/travel/recreation/recreation_markets_chatuchak.htm

Here are some links that provide more info on Bangkok shopping:
http://www.bangkok.com/shopping/index.html
http://www.bangkok.com/shopping/market.html
http://www.bangkok.com/nightlife/night-market.html

New Map Feature

First music, then video and now a world map with pins! I found an easy to use resource that has allowed me to setup up a quick link to a map that shows all the places I have been able to visit. Each little house pin is a place I have been lucky enough to visit. I will go in soon and add red pins for places that I plan to visit this year.

You can zoom on the map and left mouse grab and just drag to move around.

Let me know what you think.

Cheers,

Greg

Video Clips Now Available

Ok - I finally found a way to share small video clips from my travels. It is nice that my digital camera actually took a few of those clips. Very small and easy way for me to take some quick video to share.

You will find a link to the video clip page on the right. The clips are not in order and the page is rough, but they do play well.

I will at some point move that mp3 player to separate music page. Once I get that done I will upload more songs and create different playlist for different types of music.

Uh.....errr.... yes I am behind in my travel post. I have a few to write and will get them up soon!

Cheers,

Greg

Aruba

I did make it to Aruba for a few days in late January for work. What a pain it is to get there from the west coast. I had to fly a red eye to Chicago and then connect at 6am to a flight bound for Aruba. Aruba like most of the islands in the Caribbean thrives on tourism from the eastern seabord. Most west coast folks just fly west to Hawaii for island sun. However, I prefer to tough out the extra hours on a plane and make my way to Fiji, Bali, or Thailand.

That said here are a few thoughts on Aruba as a destination. If you are all about sun, beach, water sports and gambling, then Aruba is your kind of destination. I can only sit on a beach so long, and need an urban city nearby with vibrant night life. Unfortunately Aruba shuts down by 10pm unless you are inside a casino - boooring. The weather was windy the entire time I was there, but the locals told me the wind helps keep the climate cool. The wind does make for great wind surfing and I am told that Aruba is one of the best places in the world to wind surf. They did have a lot of beginners out on the water as well as people using large kites to speed across the water on their boards.

I managed to get one afternoon to soak up some sun, but typical Aruba weather got the best of me. The sun is out, it is gone, the rain comes for 15 min, then the sun comes out. This process repeated all day while I was there. So if you are outside all day you will get nice sun, but there is no guarantee if you just hit the beach for a few hours.

How do you like the view from my room?

Great Dinning in Bangkok

Sorry I have not managed to get a post up from my Aruba trip. I left all the pictures back on my home computer, so I will have to write that post when I get home.

Right now I am in Thailand. I came out here for a work meeting, but also brought my Mom, Uncle, Brother & his girlfriend. We spent a few days in Bangkok and then when work started for me, they went to use my timeshare down south in Phuket.

My Uncle has some friends that live here in Bangkok and they took us to a restaurant that was simply amazing. There is no way a venue like this could exist in the states as no one would insure the restaurant. The name of the restaurant is Sirocco and what makes it special is the location OUTSIDE atop the 64th floor of a large building in Bangkok. Look at the pictures. WOW, was all I could say. What you don’t see from the pictures is that on a ledge overlooking the dinning area is a spot where a live jazz band creates atmosphere while you eat. Also note the bar in the first picture - it is the blue circle in the fist picture past the dinning area. Standing room goes all the way around and there is a simple glass wall between you and all of Bangkok. A nice warm night, great food, company, ambiance & a view that was simply to die for; what more could you ask for?

If you get to Bangkok the bar or restaurant is a MUST stop. Sirocco is part of the Dome located atop the State Building near the Sathorn Bridge.

http://www.thedomebkk.com/sirocco/sirocco_home.htm

The picture above is from the website and is taken from the top of the stairs in the picture blelow (I took the picture below).

Goodbye 2005, Hello 2006

I started to review my calendar for 2006 which made me think about all the travel for 2005. What a fast year that was; I blinked and it was over. I started this blog during the summer, so did not get a chance to share some of the trips taken earlier in the year. Here is a quick review of the 2005 travel:

- Hong Kong
- Hunan Island (China)
- Saigon & Hanoi Vietnam (Holiday tacked on to work trip)
- Bangkok & Phuket Thailand (2 trips 1 Holiday, 1 work)
- London (4 times in 2005)
- Berlin
- Cairo (Twice in 2005)
- Seoul S. Korea
- Prague (Holiday)
- Bratislava (Holiday)
- Budapest (Holiday)
- Lisbon Portugal

In between trips this year, I will share observations about trips taken prior to the start of this blog.

So curious about 2006? Here is what I know so far

- Aruba (There now and will put up an Aruba post soon)
- Bangkok Thailand
- London & Wales UK
- Warsaw Poland
- Ho Chi Min City (Saigon) Vietnam
- Dubai (Fall Holiday)
- Jordan (Fall Holiday)
- Egypt Nile Cruise & Cairo (Fall Holiday)

I have some meetings with TBD locations, so who knows where else. I also will take a summer vacation with a TBD location. I am strongly considering a Spanish immersion class in Central or S. America.

Cheers,

Greg

Lisbon During Holiday Season

Lisbon is a wonder in the way they decorate the city for the holidays. I cannot recall a city that has delighted the eyes more with holiday spirit. In the downtown area, each corner you turn will reveal a new area uniquely different from the others. The picture on the left and the one in the post below are examples of what I am talking about.



It is interesting to note that Lisbon has the largest Christmas tree in all of Europe. It is a 26 story work of art that is breathtaking when lit up at night.

I have a fabulous restaurant to try if you make your way to this fascinating city:
Espaco Lisboa
R. da Cozinha Economica, No 16
Phone: +351 21 361 02 12

The temperature during the stay was very nice, typically high 50s each day and a few low 60s; very nice for December. If you are looking for an enchanting holiday experience then Lisbon during December will not disappoint.

Lisbon Portugal

I was here in 2002 for a few days and have a positive memory of the city from that trip (see photo gallery for a few pics). I am happy to say that this trip has only increased my fondness for the city. So why would you want to visit Lisbon? Well for starters the city is just beautiful. Many of the homes in the old town area are tiled with colorful ceramic tiles on the outside. The city has hills and in many ways reminds you of San Francisco. They even have a smaller version of the Golden Gate Bridge made by the same company that built the one in San Francisco. One other similarity is that they have trolley cars that look similar the San Francisco cable cars.

If you are a seafood lover, then Lisbon is for you. I ordered fish and it was grilled whole with the head, skin, and tail attached. Those of you who know that I am picky with my seafood will be surprised to hear me say that it was GREAT!! So good in fact that I ordered it two nights in a row!

One thing very unique to Portugal and Lisbon that I have to share is Fado music. The music is a singer accompanied by a few guitarists. Fado means “fate” and Fado music is usually the emotional telling of a story. The stories usually describe daily life and heartbreak. For voices to be consider good they should be deep and throaty, like a wail of pain. Most Portuguese love Fados and associate them to the word “suadade”, which tries to express the idea that you miss someone or something, or yearn for it; it may be the person you love, the street where you lived, or just the good old days. “Saudade” has been defined as “the presences of absence”. Last time I was here we heard Fado street singers and had a dinner where Fado singers came to entertain while you ate. On this trip I did get to a dinner where we had Fado entertainment - we were the only foreigners in the place. I was amazed to watch the locals in the restaurant. They basically stopped all conversation and eating and paid rapt attention to the singer as she spun her tale. Fado music is definitely not tourist music!!