Bhutan Day 3 - The Start of Druk Trek

The Druk Trek Path begins.  Our trek was a 4 night, 5 day trek from Paro town to Thimpu City.  Over a couple of mountain passes, reaching heights over 14,000 feet above sea level.  However since this vacation had limited time our plan was to do it in 3 nights and 4 days, meaning we did 2x the norm on day one...straight up the damn mountain!

So getting started their were five of us, plus the tour guide owner (turns out it was her first trip ever), our guide, 3 horsemen, 2 cooks and 12 mules/horses.  We actually paid for 2 of the horses in case we needed help on the trek and couldn't walk further.

 We left Paro Town at 9:30AM prepared for a long day of trekking, expecting to get to our campsite between 5-6PM.

As we went along in the heat of the morning the scenery simply got more and more stunning.

I loved looking down on the town in the distance and the bright red chili peppers drying out in the sun! The sun during the first 2/3 of that day's hike was brutally hot as we hiked up, up and more up.  The paths were mostly clear and free of any sort of tree cover.

As we got higher there was a long hike through a muddy forest that was much cooler which made the trek more comfortable and different in a technical way.

 Lots more chilli peppers!

 Some villagers heading down to the city...

 "Versase" shirt out in the middle of no man's land...

 Notice the ladder in the lower left.  This is how the owners enter their home/farm daily.  It's built like this to keep the random farm animals from destroying the crops.

 The horse in the front with the red wig also had a bell on.  This was the lead horse that all other horses would follow thanks to the vivid color and the noises made with each step.

Around 5:30 PM we finally found out camp site!  Utter exhaustion had slowed us significantly the past hour or so.  We couldn't wait to get to camp, grab some food, drink some wine and relax.  In reality the sun went down around 6 and probably by 8:15 we were all dead asleep.  Although I did wake hourly thanks to the rocks under my tent, but I still slept remarkably well.  Refreshed for the next day, which had to be easier!

Bhutan - Day 2

So day two was a Sunday which started harmlessly enough with a visit to a local farmer market.  Was similar in many ways to ones I've been to elsewhere with the exception that cows and other animals were walking around and their was a fair amount of cow and horse poop on the ground, typically right near the fresh food!  As was normal we saw plenty of color and great opportunities for photos...

 No this is not child imprisonment, he was just on the other side of the fence...

Two of my friend looking to buy some spoons...

 When I took this he actually moved his hat to the proper front facing way but I made him put it back like it was originally.  He is bringing the gangster look to Bhutan!

After the farmers market we took our first real hike.  From 2,000m up to 2,900m or so (approximately 9,514 ft) to begin acclimating to altitude in a real sense before our trek started the next day.  We visited one of the most famous areas and most photographed called the Tigers Nest built on the side of a sheer wall.  Incredibly it burned in the 1980's and they rebuilt it.  We were able to walk all the way there and go inside.  But given it's highly protected status no cameras, cell phones or other devises were allowed inside this temple.  In fact a dress code was highly enforced.  No tights for the women, no shorts, no pants with holes in them etc.

And yes a photo of me just so you know I was actually here.

This hike was mostly up stone steps after about the 1/2 way point.  There was actually a rest stop with tea/coffee that we chilled at for a while before finishing the upward climb.  Then on the descent our guide actually had someone bring us a meal that we ate like a picnic on the side of the mountain.

For dinner we actually went to a local farmhouse and ate with them.  It was quite neat to see the house, made essentially out of packed mud and a little bit of structural support.  It was well insulated but smelled like a farmhouse.  The owner of the home had in the past cooked for the royal family but has since retired and his kids were grown up, leaving just 4 people living there.  We found out the average family in the urban areas has 5 kids whereas the countryside is more an average of 7.  We all enjoyed our time there but wished it was a house that still had a range of kids living there so we could really experience it.  Here is a photo of some of my friends with the husband and wife who shared their home with us...

After this long day we start our true trek through the mountains to another city on Day 3, so more to come.

Bhutan! Day 1

I just got back from vacation in Bhutan.  An amazing 8 days in a very remote country that is certainly way behind in terms of being westernized.  IE no McDonald's, Starbucks or much else that is recognized.  My world phone didn't work, my blackberry didn't get emails...it was great!

This was the first photo I took upon getting off the plane in Paro, Bhutan.  You can only fly there from Bangkok or one city in India and must fly on Drukair.  According to what our guide told us they have only had one accident many years ago and that was a Taiwan pilot.  Since that happened only Bhutan pilots can fly in because navigating the mountains and winds makes it too challenging.

After settling in to our hotel and grabbing lunch we started the tourist bit.  Our first stop was to watch archery which is their national sport.  Sounds simple until you see that the target is 140meters (459ft) away!  Not only that but the other competitors stand within feet of the target and watch the arrows whip in.  We were scared and we were 10-20 feet away!

Next we were on to see a temple and a fortress.  We did a small amount of hiking to acclimate to the altitude.  Below is a photo from around the city that gives you an idea of just how beautiful things are.  Fresh air, blue skies, clear waters...all those things we don't have in Shanghai!

There were five of us on this trip and over the next few posts I will share many more photos and great experiences.  One of the most intriguing things about Bhutan is that you can't just decide to go.  You must actually buy a trip through one of the gov't controlled tour operators.  The idea is to prevent too much tourism and to prevent a rapid spread of Westernism (not really a word of course).  All tourists pay the same amount on a daily basis but that is all inclusive - guide, food, lodging, etc.  If you want additional luxuries you can pay more but generally speaking they limit the tourists.  

Molly Nolan's Wedding

As I stated in my last post I was in Chicago last week and the main reason was to attend my cousin's wedding.  The vast majority of the family was there including most who I don't get to see on my trips home so this was a great time to catch up with family, no matter how limited the time was or how busy we all were.

The wedding took place in the city followed by a reception at The University Club of Chicago, which was a stunning location.  Check out the view from the window that evening...makes me miss Chicago very much!

Inside the ballroom got rocking before any of the food was served.  The live band was keeping the crowd on its feet the entire time.  The best was some young (probably recent college grad) woman grabbing a number of the older men and dragging them onto the dance floor and making them take off their jackets and dance!  Was quite a sight to see.  Unfortunately none of those pictures came through too well, but here you see a view of the dance floor.  Quite spectacular.

I did get one shot that turned out well of my Aunt Jane and Uncle Ray and the raucous behind them.  Mind you this is all before dinner!

Unfortunately no photos of the bride and groom as they were busy entertaining everyone and having a grand time before leaving the next day on their honeymoon.

Jet Lag

As some of you know I went back to the US last week for some work and a family wedding, more on all that in the next post.  The real reason for this post is to rant a bit on jet lag and how bizarre it is.

My trip to the US was a direct flight from Shanghai to Newark on United/Continental.  Sitting in coach for 14.5 hours isn't the most conducive for getting sleep of course.  Then it didn't help that I had what I would guess is an 80 year old Chinese couple next to me who kept trying to speak to me and had to get up many times (completely understandable).  However on that 14.5 hour flight I slept less than one.

Upon arriving in NY and for the next 3-4 days I was lucky if I got 3-4 hours of sleep.  Usually until no later than 2AM depending on when I went to sleep.  And this is also with taking Ambien.

Then for the return to Shanghai, I arrived Monday afternoon.  Took a nap which should have been 2 hours and ended up 5.  Whoops!  I awoke at 9PM thinking there was no way I could fall asleep.  Well 11PM comes, I take an Ambien and sleep through the night awaking at 6AM.  Tuesday was probably 9PM until 6AM.  Now Wednesday night was a little less but I have a ton on my mind and a ton to do so maybe that is it.

But if anyone can truly explain why jet lag is so different from one trip to the next I would love to know.  It's always been easier coming to China than heading back to the US, I get that.  But still the variances are amazing from trip to trip.

In any event back to China for a few days before off on a trip of a lifetime...more on that later.

George Foreman!

Yippee!  The George Foreman is in the house!  Take a look, even Chinese characters on the top of the writing...yet the instructions come in both English and Chinese!

I gave it a shot this evening and it worked well.  I'll need a little more fine tuning as it looks like I didn't buy the deluxe version that has a timer, thermometer, etc so going by blind luck.  Still it doesn't matter, this is awesome!

A Worldwide Remembrance

This weekend was Mid Autumn Festival...also know as Moon Cake Festival.  Basically it means that in the weeks leading up to the holiday we get and give lots of moon cake's as gifts (they don't taste good either!).  But it also means a 3 day weekend.  Given that I haven't had a beach holiday or break this year I went to Thailand for some R&R and with the hopes of getting rid of the burned in tan lines from my race in Korea.  Well it rained 2 out of the 3 days so the tan lines are still there.  But just getting out of China for a couple of days was well worth it.  Good Thai food, lots of rest, and a bit of sun, not bad for three days.  Now time for the redeye flight back to Shanghai and work on Tuesday morning.

As everyone was aware this was also the 10th anniversary of 9/11.  It was cool to see how the world reacted.  In the month of September there has been a bunch of coverage in newspapers in China, on CNN (Hong Kong edition), etc.  It was magnified mightily this weekend with coverage in all the magazines, on TV, the internet and in newspapers.  Some had a local twist to the articles be it from Malaysia, Thailand or Japan.  It was sad in some ways to remember but in other ways it is great that we have not forgotten!

2011 Company Trip - Qiandaohu

Every year in Chinese companies it is customary to take a company trip (wish that happened in the US too).  Now getting an office of 60 people to be happy and excited about a free weekend is tougher than it should be.  They all figure we have unlimited money and resources, which obviously we don't.  To try and help ease the challenge, this year we had a committee of 5 organize and plan.  This way there are others to blame than me!  

Everything was planned for Labor Day weekend, knowing our NY office would be closed on Monday as well.  We were off to Qiandaohu also known as "Thousand Island Lake."  The plan was some rafting, a boat ride, hikes through some of the islands, and then to an oxygen forest.  But first we had to get there...and for that we had to take the bus about 4-5 hours from Shanghai.  I brought along an afro-wig for some laughs.  Below is our GM, Paul and his massive head of hair.  Hard to believe under there he is bald as an eagle!

Unfortunately I have no photos of the rafting but it was a blast!  I wasn't sure it was a good idea given that most Chinese in my office can't swim!  But everyone had to wear a helmet and life jacket.  Below is a photo from a bridge on Qiandaohu.  

Here is a different view of the bridge.  It's actually more like wooden planks that move all over the place, making walking across the bridge an adventure.  Especially when folks start to have fun and shake it!  Below is one of our drivers (Mao) and the woman in purple helps run our testing lab.

Some people also did some sort of reverse bungee jump.  The smaller the person obviously the higher they went and the more they flipped.  Most everyone enjoyed but there were a few who did not.

My goal on this trip was to make it super enjoyable so that next year everyone would want to go.  Because a few people backed out on this trip we had more room in the budget.  So we switched plans about 4 days before it started.  For our second night out we moved to a Sheraton hotel right on the water with unbelievable views and accommodations!  Most of the team had never stayed in a western hotel so this was a big treat.  Even better was that the weather cooperated.  We took advantage of the pool, taught some of the Chinese to swim even and all in all had a great time.

I've tried to include nothing but the good fun photos.  There are others of course.  Like some of the god awful food we ate, especially at lunches.  You know it is bad when the Chinese tell you the food is terrible even the rice!  Plus we had challenges with buses breaking down, running out of air conditioning, etc.  But we had an amazing time.  One final photo of the sunset view from the hotel...

Fake Apple Stores

Everyone knows by now that China is pretty good at replicating things...ok copying is more like it.  Well one of the most bizarre is a city called Kunming, China was found to have two fake Apple stores.  Completely set up to look real down to the employee uniforms.  After lots of searching it has turned out that there are actually not two knock off stores but actually 22!  All in one city.

In reality I think there are only 3-4 authorized and real Apple stores in all of China.  Two here in Shanghai and either one or two in Beijing.  They have aggressive expansion plans down the road but so far not 22 in the whole country let alone one city.

Check out the story and photos at:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-14503724

Expensive!

We worked a trade show here in Shanghai this week and kept ourselves busy.  On the last day I spent some time walking around talking to some suppliers.  There was one mill owner who claimed her business was bad so she had more free time.  In fact she had recently gone to the US with her 9 year old daughter.  She commented on how she couldn't believe how cheap it was to shop in NYC!  She said all week they did nothing but shop and barely looked a prices.  Mind you all this is not shopping for cheapy goods, this is name brand luxury goods - Louis Vuitton, Prada, Gucci, etc.

Then this week as I was walking home I happened to see a shirt that looked interesting in a Lacoste store.  So I walked in to see if they had my size.  They handed me a size "6" for whatever it is worth.  It happened to fit.  Then I looked at the price tag - 1,650rmb which means about $257USD for a short sleeved golf shirt!  Really?????

I never would have guessed the time would be here when someone would say NY is cheap compared to China!!!!