Around the World in 36 Days

Home!

Fri, 5 Jun 2009 21:55:03 -0400

30,916 miles, 70 hours of flights and 36 days after my departure on May 1st....I’m home! It’s a great feeling to be back home in the US. Towards the end of the trip I was starting to get a bit worn out from traveling around, but fortunately the longest flights were at the beginning of the trip between the US and China and China and Australia. For now, I’m going to catch up on a lot of sleep and sort through lots and lots of pictures!

Clemson Flag Pics Updated

Fri, 5 Jun 2009 08:29:54 -0400

Along my journey, I’m taking pictures with the Clemson flag- the one that also accompanied me on the Rio Grande trip in March...thanks for the flag, Maddie!
Here are the pictures so far..
Shanghai:

Beijing, in front of the Olympic stadium, the bird’s nest.

The Twelve Apostles, a view just off the Great Ocean Road in Australia:

In Mumbai next to the Arabian Sea:

Underwater at the pool in Beijing @ the hotel.

Blue Mtns, Australia

Cologne:

Brussels:

Brussels

Wed, 3 Jun 2009 17:38:13 -0400

I got into Brussels on Wednesday afternoon. I walked out of the metro station and headed towards the Grand Place in search of the hotel. I found it conveniently located on a street full of Greek restaurants and it was only a minute away from the Grand Place.

Street leading up to the hotel:

Inside the hotel:

View from the room:

After dropping my stuff off, I went over to the Grand Place and explored the area...upon Brian’s recommendation, I spent a good bit of time here over the two days I was in Brussels- there’s lots to see in this place and you can spend a lot of time exploring the side streets.

After walking around for a while, I was starting to get hungry and had a waffle with chocolate and started heading back to the hotel- got some more food there at one of the Greek restaurants before turning in for the night.

The next day I woke up early to explore more of the city. I went and saw the Manneken Pis:

I also saw a lot of Tintin artwork (by the Belgian artist Herge) all throughout the city:

After this I went over to the north train station to check on my bus ticket for the evening and then went over to the Sacred Heart Basilica. This was quite a large church with a large dome where you can normally go up and see the entire city. Unfortunately, they were installing a new elevator and the dome is closed until July :(

Walking back to the center of the city:

On the way back, I took the metro over to the Clemson Brussels Center. I ran into a group of Clemson students who were currently doing study abroad right outside the metro station and went back with them to see the Clemson Center.

I then walked around the area nearby before heading back towards the Grand Place area:

There was some sort of gathering at the Grand Place- people dressed in up gold jumpsuits...running about and singing:

I had lunch in the square and took in a great view...here are some pics of the building decor at the Grand Place:

Around 5:30pm I headed to the train station and managed to get an earlier bus to Paris. After getting to Paris, I took the metro to the CDG airport and hung out there until my morning flight out to Newark.

On our flight out, our pilot saw a break in the clouds right over the Normandy beaches and I got a few pictures:

Cologne

Wed, 3 Jun 2009 08:19:19 -0400

On the way to Brussels, I had an hour and a half long transfer at the Cologne train station, so I decided to go out and look around- the cathedral pictured above is right outside the station and is one of the oldest gothic cathedrals in Europe. I stowed my bags at one of the luggage lockers and walked out of the station to this sight:

Inside the cathedral:

I didn’t have time to climb to the top- 506 stairs...but it was also getting cold, windy and cloudy. Maybe next time...

The plaza outside the train stations, viewed from the stairs of the cathedral:

Monty Python’s Spamalot seen outside the train station:

Gutersloh

Tue, 2 Jun 2009 20:19:24 -0400

That’s spaghetti ice cream pictured above...no, not spaghetti flavored ice cream, but rather vanilla ice cream pushed through a machine into noodles and covered with strawberry syrup to make it look like a bowl of spaghetti. There’s a light dusting of hazelnut to top it off...and it tastes great! Definitely try this if you make it over to Germany.

Gutersloh was a good time- I got a chance to relax a bit and take a break from traveling around. When we got back from Hannover on Monday evening, we grabbed some ice cream first and then went to get dinner, some greek food. The area is a really nice part of Germany. Gutersloh has a few big companies with either offices or warehouses there, along with lots of farmland around the city.

We got back to Oliver’s apartment, which is pretty close to the middle of the city and overlooks a few churches. After dinner, we played some Mario Kart on the Wii.

Oliver’s street:

View from the apt:

I was glad to use Tuesday to catch up on sleep and relax a bit...at this point in the trip I was starting to get tired and felt a bit burnt out. On Tuesday evening, we walked around Gutersloh to figure out the right cables to hook up Oliver’s laptop to his hdtv and then got some dinner to go- so we could watch the Germany soccer match that evening.

Some of the sights in Gutersloh, pics taken by Oliver:

Don’t think you’ll find this combination on any other car in Europe:

After watching the game, I check up on the info on my trip to Brussels. We went to the train station to look at getting a ticket but saw that they would have the ticket office open in the morning and we decided to just go then instead of buying them from the machine.

The next morning, Oliver took me to the station and helped me get my ticket before he had to leave to work....next stop Cologne.

Gutersloh train station and tv tower in the background.

Bielefeld

Mon, 1 Jun 2009 20:19:12 -0400

What’s there to see in Bielefeld? It is very close to where Oliver lives so we decided to check it out on the way back from Hannover and went to see the Sparrenburg Castle:

The stairs to the top of the tower:

The views from the top:

Nice quick trip with a good view...worth the stop.

Hannover

Mon, 1 Jun 2009 10:35:39 -0400

We drove out on Monday morning to Hannover. Monday was a holiday in Germany, so Oliver had the day off from work and there wasn’t much traffic on the autobahn on our route. On holidays, transport trucks are not allowed to travel, with the exception of those carrying perishable goods ( saw a few seafood trucks go by).
On the way to Hannover:

Starting the tour at the train station:

According to the internet...”to see the best sights (36 of them) follow the red line through the city.

yeah....follow the red line (see picture below). The line must have been pretty old because it was worn out in places and going back in forth in some spots. We ended up going the backwards route the whole way but made it through in about 2 hours.

Oliver playing with the whirlpool machine-toy:

The river through the city- looks like I need to plan out a kayaking/canoeing trip:

Old Stables Town Hall

Walking the red line.

We saw one of the churches that had been bombed out- all that was left is the exterior walls:

Inside:

Looking in from the entrance towards the altar...Oliver on the left.

On the walk back to the start of the walk...still following the stupid red line (see left side of the picture)

saw Continental tires on the way out...

...and more kayaks! definitely need to plan a trip on the water next time.

Dortmund

Sun, 31 May 2009 10:35:27 -0400

At Dortmund, Oliver picked me up at the train station. We put my luggage away in his car and then we took a walk around the city.

Clemson Class of 2007 and 2010 at the Dortmund Stadium:

We also walked around the area where Oliver went to school, near the river.
Some kid walking a rabbit in the park...the rabbit did not look happy:

We then went over to Oliver’s parents’ restaurant for dinner and had a great Croatian meal. This was a warm welcome from them into the country and I enjoyed the filling meal and beer as well. They showed me some pictures of the city where their home is in Croatia (two hours from Venice, Italy) and I think it looks like a great place to visit and enjoy the beautiful waters of the Mediterranean. Maybe my next trip?

The restaurant is right next to one of the soccer fields and has a patio outside so you can watch the game while eating:

On the soccer ball chair overlooking the field...full after a good meal :)

Oliver and his parents:

Myself with Oliver’s parents:

Afterward, we drove from Dortmund to Gutersloh, on the Autobahn’s no limit section :) This was a nice contrast from riding in traffic in India last week.

Tomorrow: Hannover and Bielefeld

Day 1 in Europe

Sun, 31 May 2009 07:52:00 -0400

Today I arrived in Europe via Paris. I got a great view of the Eiffle tower and surrounds area from the plane as we made our approach into the airport. My first task after getting my bags was to find the train station and get a ticket to Dortmund. While I wouldn’t mind seeing more of Paris, I have seen it before with the family and decided I’d rather spend more time in Germany and Brussels instead- maybe I’ll see a bit more than the airport and the train stations when I come back from Brussels for my flight. I caught the metro from CDG to Paris Gare du Nord and then took a train from there to Cologne...definitely was a comfortable ride complete with lunch and a nice view of the countryside and cities (going through Brussels and Cologne on the way to Dortmund).

On the metro from Charles De Gaulle Airport to Paris Gare du Nord:

In Paris Gare du Nord; not sure what this was....maybe an art exhibition? The top box went up and down with music playing and fog coming out from inside.

The ticket included lunch and drinks on the train...tried a French red wine:

Passing through Brussels on the way to Cologne:

India

Sat, 30 May 2009 11:25:19 -0400

Catching up on the last few days now...I got to do some shopping in Bombay and also enjoyed more of the food! On Saturday, I caught up with some of my cousins for the afternoon before my night flight. Here are some pics from the past couple days starting with some of the food:

Irene took me up to see Mount St.Mary’s and then we took the route along the sea on the way back:

People washing clothes by the water:

At Avinash’s place:

One of the shopping centers:

Mumbai

Wed, 27 May 2009 00:31:13 -0400

Mumbai (or Bombay). The rags to riches city- where even the lady selling corn at the market has a cell phone. I got back to Bombay on Tuesday, and that evening, we had a seafood dinner- crabs and shells with wine.
Uncle Robert:

On Wednesday, Irene’s sister, Joan, took me out around town for a bit of a history tour of Bombay. Took some pictures from the car along the way:

Some move to Bombay from other regions and start work as basket makers or similar jobs. Sometimes they get the opportunity to make more money and get better housing, followed by getting access to healthcare and an education. In this particular area where this picture is from, there have been people who have gone on to become advocates (lawyers)...after making their way through school studying under the streetlights.

Next we saw the Dhobi Ghats, where the dhobis of Bombay bring the laundry of the city to clean it- still washing it by beating it over the rocks. It’s a sight to see with colors all around sorted by different shades and all of it is organized by their system to collect clothes, wash, dry, iron and deliver to thousands of people without loosing them- a lesson in logistics.

The train station is just to the left of this area:

We passed through some of the mill area- Bombay’s cotton industry really took off during the American civil war period, but when synthetics came around the mills took quite a hit. Now, the mill owners are selling their mill land to developers who put in buildings and the horizon has changed from smokestacks to skyscrapers.

We then went to take a look at Crawford Market:

Joan explained the differences in the architecture of Bombay with the basalt and limestone buildings, limestone being used for more intricate decorations.

We took a break to get some Falooda and I also got a lime soda:

We then went to the Reserve Bank of India museum where we saw a lot of coins and currency dating from 3 BC to present. It was neat to see the history of money through the years and with different rulers. While coins may not seem that interesting to most, you really can learn a lot from the metals and symbols on the coin and there is an opportunity to revisit history that is otherwise lost.

Victoria Terminal- train station

The old town hall, now a library:

Learning how to cross the street in Bombay all over again:

The Gateway of India:

Next we drove by the sea on the way back:

The sea is pretty rough right now as the monsoons are about to start:

Deloitte in Bombay:

Goa part 2

Mon, 25 May 2009 23:16:36 -0400

I got a chance to visit the ancestral house and see how it had changed since the last time I was here three years ago...

Went into Mapusa and saw the market with Adrienne the next day:

Uncle William and family came into town that evening and we met up after a service at Don Bosco’s:

Nana also showed me an old family picture that they had taken a long while ago, with dad and my two aunts in the very front sitting on the ground:

Had a great time in Goa catching up with family and relaxing...the flight back was quick (it’s only about 50 minutes flying to Bombay) and I saw some nice views of the beaches from the air:

Goa

Sat, 23 May 2009 22:27:44 -0400

It’s Thursday in Bombday and I’m just getting around to catching up on the past week. On Saturday, I flew into Goa from Bombay. On the way back from the airport, we bought some crabs for Sunday’s dinner:

We also visited Valley and his family and he set us up with the spice plantation visit on Sunday.

People playing cricket on one of the rice fields:

On Sunday, we went to the morning Mass and afterwards drove out to the Sahakari Spice Farm:

Traditional greeting Having lemongrass tea and cashews

Coffee beans Bananas

River running through the plantation

We also got to see the elephant at the farm and get up close- see pic at the top.
Cocoa pods Learning about the spices

At the end of the day, the workers jumped in the river to cool off...they offered option 2: cold water + citronella oil down your back to cool you off.

After this, we had a full lunch and the farm gave us all a glass to feeny to try.
On the way back, we stopped at a coconut stand to have some coconuts:

While leaving, we saw a rat snake come out of the bushes to try to get a quick lunch- a green frog...the snake is at the bottom left of the picture, going back after missing its meal.

Australia to India

Fri, 22 May 2009 03:15:19 -0400

I flew on Singapore Airlines from Sydney to Singapore and then Singapore to Bombay. It was a smooth flight- tried a Singapore Sling, some Autralian white wines a few others over the two long flights. Singapore Airlines still provides complimentary alcoholic beverages to the entire plane, and I’d say they have some of the best service I’ve seen. Got some cool views of the Australian outback and coast on the way:

Sydney Day 2: Blue Mtns

Thu, 21 May 2009 06:23:39 -0400

Today I woke up early for a tour of the Blue Mountains area of Sydney. Daphne dropped me off at the Central Station where I walked over to one of the pick up points for the tour- the Sydney YHA (youth hostel association). There were a few of these around and seemed to be a good deal if you are looking for a budget stay in Sydney.

Our first stop on the tour was the Olympic arenas in Sydney. We saw the main arena (which they have partially demolished to reduce the seating capacity to save money long term) and learned a lot about the sustainable aspects of the park. The entire area under the stadium is a water reservoir to collect rain and runoff to recycle for the arenas. There are also solar towers all throughout:

We then stopped at a small town for breakfast, where the weather turned to cold and rainy! After this stop, the bus took us to the Jameson Valley area with the Three Sisters formation. When we first got there, I thought it was quite a sight with the rock formation- as the fog rolled away, the rest of the valley came into view and it was amazing!

Still carrying around the flag!

Taking the cable car up from the bottom of the valley:

While most of the tour group had lunch at a cafeteria, I went to one of the local places, Common Ground, and had a great fish burger. The restaurant has a warm feel to it and the staff is part of a community (I think all in a commune?) and don’t get paid to work at the restaurant, rather the money goes back into the community for their farms, education etc...

We headed back from the mountains towards the city and stopped at a wildlife park to spend see some Australian wildlife up close- koalas, kangaroos and more!!

The Silveras: Mario, Daphne, Becky, Tanya, Ives

I went out with Tanya, Ives and Becky for some Thai food my last night- great food and I also got to try another aussie brew, a Pure Blonde...not bad!

Time to board the flight!

First Day in Sydney

Wed, 20 May 2009 08:21:55 -0400

Hello Sydney! Had a great flight in on Virgin Blue airlines into Sydney, with a great view of the Opera House and bridge on the landing approach. Once in, I met Daphne and went to the Silvera’s house. From there, I took a bus into the city and explored the area- the Circular Quay and Darling Harbour. The weather was great at first but some heavy showers came in later.

View at lunch:

Watching people climb the bridge:

Reminder for oversees pedestrians to look to the right for traffic- I have been instinctively looking to the left first when crossing, I need to remember that traffic is on the opposite side of the road from the US.

Dinner: Conveyor Belt Sushi restaurant:

I finished off the day watching Star Trek on the IMAX theater. Came home and had dinner with the family- great meal of lamb chops, mashed potatoes and veggies...yum!
Exhausted at this point, time for bed....ready for the Blue Mountains tomorrow!

Last Day in Melbourne

Tue, 19 May 2009 17:43:07 -0400

Last day in Melbourne! I got to spend some quality time with family today I went to the city with Brubeck, Cookie, Xavier and Carmen as they had some business to take care of in town. Brubeck and I walked around the city and saw some of the sights while the others were busy. Melbourne is a good city to walk around and I got a chance to see a busy afternoon workday in the city.

Chinatown!

We stopped in at a LauraStar shop- specialized irons with a large steam reservoir built into the board.

Had a quick snack at one of the cafes...

We all met up again in the afternoon and went with Brubeck to get his new car:

We went home and relaxed with the family for a bit Errol, Brubeck and I went to one of the local pubs. I tried a Carlton Draught and an Irish brew- both were great- not too much Fosters here (sorry Matt!).

We then got back home, went out to get some Vietnamese take-away and brought it home for a yummy dinner.

Great Ocean Road Part 2

Mon, 18 May 2009 19:57:51 -0400

After the birds, we went to a rain forest in the Great Ottoway National Park. We walked through a combination of lush greens and tall trees:

We got back in the bus and rode down into a river basin and back up to some of the highest points on the road before stopping for lunch.

And now, the best part.....the Twelve Apostles, London Arch and more...

I met a few other travelers on my bus along the way, Ben from Germany and Jin from South Korea...Jin and her friend insisted on getting pictures of her new friends along the way.

Was a great day and I slept all the way back...more to come when I get a chance to sort through all the pics!

Melbourne Day 3: Great Ocean Road

Mon, 18 May 2009 08:25:19 -0400

The Great Ocean Road had some amazing sights along the coastline of Australia. If you like ocean, mountains, beaches, cliffs, rivers, vivid greens of the trees mixed in with light aqua and deep blues of the water...you’ll love this area. I took a tour bus that left at 8 am in the city and went out past Geelong and headed to the shipwreck coast with a few stops along the way.
A few sights near Federation Square before the tour started:

We passes some of the industrial area on the way- woodchips and autoglass manufacturers. This area was near a protected bay, you see some tranquil water here:

A stark contrast from this water was Bell’s Beach, home of some of the biggest surf in Australia and the location for many competitions. The waves weren’t big today but the power of the wave is not in the height but the strength, as they have a long run up to build momentum and mass.

The scenery that followed kept getting better and better...rocky shorelines, beaches, winding roads, black-water (tannin) rivers:

We then went to a bird sanctuary to see some wildlife and got to feed some beautiful parrots and ducks.

See Part 2 for more of the road!

Melbourne Day 2

Sun, 17 May 2009 09:26:37 -0400

Slept in today and it felt great! I think I am finally back on track...although Australia is only 2 hours ahead of China’s time, the sunrise and sunset times are not the same as China’s times. Today, we had a party for Shad and Brubeck’s birthday coming up next week. Around 50 of their friends and family came over for lots of music, drinks and great music. We got a nice surprise as Dean and Clavier showed up with their families. It felt like a family reunion and it was a great feeling to see them again, it’s been ages.

Uncle Xavier, Shad and Brubeck also had some music going during the party.

I also got the chance to talk to a lot of their friends about living in Melbourne and Australia in general...from the universities, government, businesses and the small market size of Australia (remember, still only 21 million people in the entire country).

First Day in Melbourne

Sat, 16 May 2009 19:01:07 -0400

After the 11 hour flight from Shanghai, I’m finally in Australia! It feels great out here! The weather is a bit chilly compared to China, as it is now fall in Melbourne.
Air China flight- slept through 90% of this one

After going through customs and immigration I made it out to the end of the terminal to meet Erroll. I ended up coming out on the far left side and must have missed him, so I went to get my Chinese money exchanged out for Australian change to make a phone call. My neighboring passenger on the flight was also trying to do the same but didn’t speak any english, so I helped him figure out how to use the pay phone to call his ride home. It really was refreshing to step outside the airport to the fresh air of Melbourne. Erroll picked me up from the airport and on the drive back we drove through a lot of open spaces.

We started talking about the population and Erroll mentioned 20 million as one of the figures- I started thinking that 20 mill was pretty high for the city of Melbourne- but no, that’s 20 million for the entire country!! Quite a departure from the 1.3+ billion of China!!

We got home and I took a shower and cleaned up. Shad and Brubeck were jamming for a show later tonight:

Erroll, Cookie, Elizabeth and myself all went out for a drive to one of the mountain ranges here, the Dandenong Range. It was a beautiful drive up with the bright yellow leaves on the trees on the mountain road. Up at the top, we stopped at a lookout spot for a spectacular view of the city and the areas around it.

After this, we looked up a winery on Erroll’s GPS. After the first one led to steep dirt roads, we found another on the map and drove towards it. We ended at Kellybrook Winery, the oldest in the Yarra Valley wine region.

Great first day- I was exhausted by the time we got back....ate a quick dinner and went right to bed.

Leaving China

Fri, 15 May 2009 02:05:42 -0400

Today I am flying from Beijing to Melbourne, through Shanghai. As the bus dropped us off at the airport, I was already thinking about the fact that I still have 21 days of traveling left to go. I think two weeks was an appropriate amount of time to spend here, maybe even a little on the long side- most of the group seemed to be ready to go back after Wednesday.

When I arrive in Melbourne, I will have covered 15,281 miles and will have been in transit for 45 hours (flights and train trip to Beijing). Needless to say, I’m looking forward to sleeping on the plane (I’m starting to fall asleep while waiting to board the plane) and also looking forward to getting some fresh air in Australia. The smog in China is a bit depressing on the days when you can’t see the sun and while I enjoyed the variety of food over the last two weeks, I think I am ready for a few different flavors.

Beijing Day 5: Summer Palace

Thu, 14 May 2009 12:14:05 -0400

Our last day of touring Beijing began with a drive out to visit the Summer Palace and the Temple of Heaven. The group was a bit tired out at this point but the views at these two sights were worth going to see. The Summer Palace is on an artificial lake that was dug out, and they used the dirt to build up a hill with a tower that you can climb for some great views over the lake. The haze had returned to the city and the visibility was not that great...but we still got some nice views on the top.  

Walking through the park Drew gets a hot dog...it’s a good day.

After the Summer Palace, we went to the Temple of Heaven. There were a lot more people selling toys, watches, food and random junk on the streets on the way in here.

Some of the guys in the group bought some hackysack type toys and we kicked them around during a few breaks:

Chinese tourists standing in the middle of the acoustic mound.

We got back to the hotel, went for a swim and watched the Barcelona-Villareal game in the sauna before dinner. For dinner, we had Peking duck. Pretty good stuff!

Duck being carved

Not much writing for today. There are a few things I want to compile after the trip- on some of the things we’ve seen here in the cities and on company visits...but for now I’m exhausted and am packing up for Australia!

Beijing Day 4: Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City

Wed, 13 May 2009 10:13:25 -0400

We visited Tiananmen square in the morning- it was less than 5 minutes away from our hotel. We got off and saw a huge crowded plaza- there was a long line of people waiting to go inside a building to see Chairman Mao’s coffin. This was the longest line I’ve even seen- it wrapped around the courtyard and just kept on going- I never did see the end. We looked around here for a while before going to the Forbidden City.

The Forbidden City is huge! We walked through courtyard after building after courtyard for a while and kept seeing more impressive sculptures and structures.

The guards in training:

In one of the gardens; the ground had stones set to paint out a design when it rains and also massage your feet as you walked on them:

After this, we went to one of the residential districts of Beijing and met a few families. We met a gentlemen who raises crickets and grasshoppers for fights- turns out it is a big sport here with a top level cricket running at 10,000 Yuan ($1465) and people betting houses on the games. He was a funny man, telling his story (through a translator) of raising crickets and the special tiny tools to keep from hurting them when picking them up and moving them.

We then went over to another house to eat lunch- great food in a warm family atmosphere.

We then did the touristy thing to do (we’re in a group of around 30 at this point with both groups of clemson student put together) and took a rickshaw ride around for a short trip.

Nathan buying a 10 Yuan ($ 1.47) rolex before we left:

Next was a visit to a tea company for a sampling of different teas- good tea but we were all a bit tired of the tourist spots at this point and were ready to head back.

Near the Silk Street Market I saw an Apple Retailer...there is a larger Apple Store in town that I might try to visit tomorrow:

Back at the hotel, I got a chance to catch up on some emails and updating this site...I’m getting more and more excited about getting to Australia. China has been great and I think two weeks was plenty of time for this visit. Next time I would like to see more of the area in the middle and western parts, as well as Hong Kong...but Shanghai, Nanjing and Beijing are definitely must see cities!

Beijing Day 3: The Great Wall

Tue, 12 May 2009 09:42:49 -0400

The Great Wall- I am going to let the pictures do the talking. There were amazing views along the way and quite a tiring hike up! And a beautiful blue sky :)
First, we visited the Ming Tombs:

Good to see some friends on this trip! They’ll be in China for 5 more weeks.

They call him “Hollywood”

Visiting a jade and pottery company:

Some of the firewater they served at lunch. MPG, is this the same stuff?

The great wall....amazing. This part was a steep climb up, the elevation at the top was 600 meters above sea level.

We were all exhausted at the end of this trip but the climb was well worth it for the amazing views. We lucked out with a blue sky that day as it had been very haze the previous days (see the olympic park pics) but the winds had shifted.

Drew and his kites outside the hotel:

Beijing Day 2: Hormel

Mon, 11 May 2009 05:44:02 -0400

Hormel was our final company visit on Monday. Hormel in China has two regions- Shanghai and Beijing with the areas in-between the two cities separated out. The company operates as two separate joint ventures but in the end they are both under the Hormel name. After listening to a presentation on Hormel’s move to China and operations, we took a tour. Hormel’s product differentiation in the market is it’s quality- through meat and safety/cleanliness in production. To start off, before visiting the location, we filled out paperwork about our previous locations to screen for the flu. We then suited up with full length lab coats, face masks, hair caps and plastic shoe covers. Then we were brushed off with lint roller and walked through sanitizer before entering the processing plant...no pictures allowed in the plant. I have a lot of thoughts about Hormel in China and their strategy here, but I will save that for another day....overall, I was impressed.
We then got to sample Hormel’s product offerings:

Some of the out-there architecture seen on the way back:

On the way back we stopped at the Silk Street market- Drew picked up his tux and we looked at some of the other stores.
Drew, the tux and the tailors:

When we got back to the hotel, we decided it was time for some R&R....We went down to the pool and sauna. I brought my camera to the pool and tried a few underwater shots with the Clemson tiger paw....one turned out alright:

After the pool, we went into the sauna and watched some badminton on the TV.

The 6-week group arrived after we were done in the sauna and we all met in the lobby for dinner. I was surprised to find a few friends in the group- Alex G. and Julie B....I think we were surprised to see each other given we were in a hotel lobby in Beijing. After dinner, the group tried out Club Banana to get a taste of the Chinese nightlife....it was intense- the whole place had lights and fog machines synced to the music which blasted out of speakers and subs that were placed everywhere in the facility. I was exhausted at this point and didn’t stay too long so that I could get some rest before the hike up the Great Wall.

First Day in Beijing

Sun, 10 May 2009 09:47:49 -0400

Leaving the train station to the hotel, my first impression of Beijing was that it is a little bit dirtier-trash and pollution wise. We took a bus to the hotel and dropped off our stuff and walked to breakfast down the road.

After breakfast, Dr. Miller took us on the subway to Silk Row, as some people in the group were looking for tailored suits, which are relatively cheap here. This shopping area was a bit out of control though, as everyone tries very hard to sell you what they have, even grabbing your hand to try to pull you towards their store.

An intense argument broke out between store owners when one of them offered a far lower price than the other...they really wanted to get a sale!

Afterward, we took the subway to the Olympic area.

It was neat to see the area- the buildings and the huge plaza gave you a feeling that you’ve arrived at a different planet- especially when combined the the sun burning through the haze of the smog around you...we also got the feeling that the area is starting to slow down economically after seeing a few parts being torn up and some empty sections.

Comment Response:

“Bambi”
They sure do try to sell very hard in India as well...being able to market/sell your product is a challenge here and people try very hard day after day.

Train to Beijing

Sun, 10 May 2009 02:59:21 -0400

All aboard!
After our lecture at the university, we went to the train station to take the overnight train to Beijing. This was a nine hour train leaving at around 9:30pm or so on Saturday night.

The train was pretty comfortable! 4 people to a cabin, each with their own tv. We also had our own slippers for the journey. We had a few snacks and talked for a while before turning in for the night.

Some of the other trains....arriving in Beijing:

Our hotel for the next week:

Sustainability

Sat, 9 May 2009 09:05:21 -0400

Although China is quite polluted in the cities, there are there are several things I’ve seen here that contribute to sustainability in general and would be great to see back home. The above pictures is a battery recycling station at the hotel, there are common throughout offices/building lobbies here. One thing I noticed about Shanghai was that it was clean- relatively speaking. Since there is a abundance of labor, there are older generations of people who make their living by cleaning up the streets and by sorting and recycling trash (plastic bottles and aluminum can deposits). Just about every trash can I’ve seen has a recycling side, making it a lot more convenient to recycle.

In Nanjing, I noticed a lot of apartments had solar water heaters on the roof:

Also in Nanjing, the traffic lights had countdowns to both the red and green light. This meant that if you were at a red light, you could turn your car off while waiting and still know when to turn it back on (as many of the taxi drivers did) right before the green light.

You also have to pay extra to get a plastic bag at a grocery store, most people bring their own bag. The hotel room’s lights do not work unless you have your room card in a special slot by the door, all the lights turn off when you take your key card and leave for the day.

While there’s still a long ways to go, these smaller steps are interesting to see deployed and I’m looking forward to seeing more of this in the US.

Comment Response:
Thanks Matt,
You’re right, I don’t know if turning off the car at the lights would save that much fuel as they aren’t longer than 45 seconds...also I don’t know if that was the intended goal for the countdowns or if they were just for getting traffic flowing better. I haven’t seen many hybrids here either- there are a few electric buses and a Prius spotted every now and then, they can definitely use more!

Ryan

Tai Chi

Sat, 9 May 2009 08:39:27 -0400

I have noticed a lot of Tai Chi in Shanghai. Driving through the city in the morning, you see a lot of people out in parks and building plazas doing Tai Chi as part of their morning routine.

This is what I would see every morning at 7am across the street from our hotel in Shanghai:

After our tour of Avon’s offices and lunch, we walked through a park where an old man was teaching Tai Chi to others...so we joined in!

He was more than happy to show us a few moves and I think we managed to pick some of them up, although more practice is definitely in order.

Nanjing University

Sat, 9 May 2009 08:04:38 -0400

Last day in Nanjing! We checked out of the hotel and sent all of our larger bags to the train station ahead of the group. After checking out, we had about an hour and a half to kill so we went out to get lunch. Some of us decided to try out the Papa John’s experience in China:

Also saw a Walmart on the way:

Once at the university, we listened to a lecture detailing China’s economic history.

Day 2 in Nanjing

Fri, 8 May 2009 21:30:59 -0400

Our second day in Nanjing consisted of two company tours: Changzhou Changzheng Evaporator Company and Timken.

Changzhou Changzheng Evaporator Company is located in Changzhou, about 2 hours away from Nanjing. They are a supplier to Electrolux, Panasonic, Samsung, LG as well as several other Chinese and Japanese companies.

“No electricity today!” We were greeted by a warm welcome sign as well as a company without electricity for the day. They were just notified by the government on Monday that the power would go out on Friday due to power work in the area- this only happens maybe once a twice a year, but it happened to be the day we were visiting. No worries though, there were lots of windows in the offices and factory. From their side, they will compensate for the lost Friday by shifting production to Sunday.

On the way to the conference room we saw the offices and rec rooms, complete with ping pong and billiards table.

The production facility was partly operating, as some components did not need power. This included tube bending and checking as some smaller stations.

Overall, this was a very clean factory. They follow a lot of various guidelines, such as 5S and general production best practices.

After the tour, we went back to the conference room where the president and general manager, Zheng Jianwei, came in and talked to use/Q&A. He did not speak english so our interpreter had to help us ask questions at this point. He told us about his past- going from high school into the army to currently bring the pres and gm (and owning 80% of the company’s stock) of the company with 1500 employees and around $50 million in sales a year. He stressed creating value for the client and keeping the customer’s best interests in mind at all points in his business- which we saw in the quality and reputation of this plant.

Originally, we had planned on having lunch in the employee cafeteria to see what it would be like- but because of the power outage, Zheng Jianwei insisted on taking us (all 18 of us....) out to lunch at one of the best restaurants in the area. This was by far the best meal we have had on this trip with food ranging from scallops, lotus root, sparrow, beef, dumplings and various other delicacies. We were also offered some Chinese white wine to try, which is actually not the same as wine back home. This was 40% proof liquor and had quite a kick :)

Lunch- most of the restaurants are family style served on lazy susan type tables

Following this lunch we rode the bus over to Wuxi to visit Timken, where we had a quick overview of the company and toured the production center (no photos allowed here).

Driving into the sunset (the pollution makes for an impressive hazy sunset) on the way back to Nanjing, we discussed the visits thus far and our case studies.

Last night in Nanjing- not wanting to go to Burger King with the others. Drew, James and I went out to find some food from the street vendors. We found some great chicken on a stick. The first round had a bit too much spice and we immediately tracked down some TsingTao beer to wash it down. We returned for round two (sans extra spice) and then went to look for other food to try but the other vendors all had similar food for sale.

For now, I need to pack up as we are checking out of the hotel today, visiting Nanjing University and taking the overnight train to Beijing. I went out this morning after breakfast at 7 to get some snacks from the grocery store. Anyone have any recommendations?

Day 1 in Nanjing

Thu, 7 May 2009 18:25:05 -0400

We really have been set up with great accommodations throughout this trip. The hotel in Shanghai was a 4 star hotel and in Nanjing, we are staying at a 5 start hotel. I didn’t expect this for a study abroad trip, even if only for two weeks...but hey, I don’t mind :)

Our first visit was to the Mausoleum of Dr. Sun Ya-tsen. This is located on a quite a hill with a climb of 392 stairs, representative of the population at the time of 39.2 million people and the 392nd leader.

We then rode through Nanjing in the bus to get a view of the Yangtze River Bridge. This is a long bridge that the Chinese are very proud of as this was built without any support from outside countries. On the way we passed the Nanjing train station and some shopping centers with parking lots packed with bikes.

Crossing over the Yangtze River

Solar water heaters on the roofs of buildings

We had the rest of the day off when we returned to the hotel. I walked around the market area and also visited the hotel spa for a massage. I bought some snacks from a grocery store nearby the hotel and finally ended the day with dumplings for dinner.

For now, it’s 6:50am on Friday (is it Friday?) morning and I need to go get ready for the day- we are visiting a refrigeration company and I believe we may also be visiting Timken. When I get back I will hopefully be able to catch up on the postcards I have lying on my desk and get them mailed out!

Suzhou

Wed, 6 May 2009 10:28:17 -0400

After leaving Shanghai in the morning, we rode the bus to Suzhou. Here we visited the Jacobs Chuck manufacturing facility.

After learning about their history in the US and moving to China, we took a tour of the plant (no pictures allowed). They produce around 15,000 drill chucks a day at this location and it was interesting to see their performance measures (CPK, safety, on time delivery) posted around the plant. They have a large focus on lean manufacturing and also the Danaher business system...”kaizen is our way of life.”

Our next stop was a silk company, where we saw the production of silk from the silkworm to the final product; along with a silk fashion show.

We then went to visit the Humble Administrator’s Garden, a beautiful part of the town in Suzhou.

What would complete a trip to the garden? Why a paper hat, of course...

After the gardens, we began our journey to Nanjing. There were some great views of: 1. construction 2. more construction 3. open countryside 4. goats 5. a sunset and finally 6. even more construction.

“What day is it?” seems to be a common question in our group as we move through different parts of the country and get adjusted to the time difference. We’re slowly getting there....

Avon, Fluor and the Riverboat

Tue, 5 May 2009 09:22:39 -0400

Tuesday was our last day touring Shanghai. We split up into taxis to head to Avon. This was when we quickly learned how hard it would be to come here without someone who speaks Chinese. The cab driver saw the address we had written on a slip of paper and then looked up and started talking to my group and asking questions about it....blank stare back. Luckily, Vivian was in the group right next to us and had not left yet and clarified the directions with the driver. So far, our experience had led us to believe that they really aren’t that many people who speak English here, at least through our interactions. It is possible to communicate for some of the basics, but if it goes beyond that you could be out of luck (even with a translation book).

Today we began our company visits, starting with Avon. There is an interesting background story behind Avon in China. Avon in the US traditionally sells directly though its representatives throughout communities. When they came to China, they used their same selling model; however, others soon copied it and it was abused by people looking to use a multi-level marketing scam to get quick money and run. The government then put a ban on this sales model in 1998 because of the scams; obviously a major obstacle for Avon. They switched over to boutique style stores and adapted to the new market. I was pretty impressed by their marketing strategy for reaching the Asian market and launching new products amid competitors such as L’Oreal, P&G (MPG- you better get over here and work on that!) Unilever and a few others. The presentation also helped me get a feel for the sheer numbers that are involved when looking at China as a market. As disposable income is increasing, the addressable market size is growing. And when you’re talking about a population of +1 billion...the numbers are up there. We toured the office and were given a presentation on Avon’s history in China, the best practices for business in China for Avon and Avon’s future in China.

After the tour, we walked down the street to try out the McDonald’s....which was pretty similar to the US McDonald’s experience, menu changes aside. Walking down the street in a group (in particular, a group of american tourists) has proved to be challenging as we are asked to buy a watch or sunglasses every 5 seconds. We left the main street and explored one of the city parks. There was an old man in the park teaching a few people Tai-Chi...we decided to join in and asked him to teach us a few moves (no pictures on my camera, but I’ll post when I track one down).

We then hopped into cabs and went to visit Fluor. They have grown from just two employees in Beijing to over 830 employees and over $15 Billion in project developed through Shanghai, Beijing and other locations over the past 30 years. We were given a tour of the offices and also listened to a presentation to the start of Fluor in China and their model for doing business in China

After the Flour visit we returned to the hotel and then went out for a river cruise. We had some time to kill before getting on the boat so some of us went to look for food. We tried some kebabs:

They were great....I also got what I thought was a 7-up but it turned out to be a beer instead.We then boarded the boat for an amazing view of Shanghai at night. There are a lot of lights in Shanghai...the high rises, boats, streets...everything seems to be covered which makes for a spectacular night scene.

Amazing stuff....was exhausted at the end of the day and headed back to the hotel afterwards and turned in for the night. Noticed another battery recycling box at the hotel (these were in the offices we visited as well) by the elevator.

We are checking out of Shanghai and headed to Suzhou today and then headed for Nanjing.

Sightseeing in Shanghai

Mon, 4 May 2009 08:44:02 -0400

The rest of the group arrived Sunday around 5pm or so. Their flights were all delayed upon arrival as everyone was screened for swine flu with infrared thermometers, something that my flight did not have to do just one day earlier. It was good to finally be with the rest of the group and better to be able to speak english again and have an interpreter on hand.

Monday morning kicked off the sightseeing part of our trip. After walking around the hotel for about 30 minutes to find an ATM for Mike (the banks were closed before 9 am and the one ATM we found was broken) we hopped on the bus and headed towards the Jade Buddha temple. Driving through old Shanghai, it easy to see the massive population through the number of apartment buildings strewn through the city and the traffic on the streets.
High Rise Apartments in Shanghai

Once we got to the temple, it was a sudden transition from a noisy city to a tranquil courtyard when you first walk in....yes, there are a lot of tourists and locals there but you walk in to the sounds of birds and the smell of incense and suddenly forget all of the people..

Once inside, we got to see many of the buddha statues, including the Jade Buddha, carved from a single piece of jade (no pictures allowed).

Next, we went to a pearl company/shop where they showed us the differences between fresh and saltwater pearls. Freshwater oysters can usually produce around 20 pearls or so while saltwater oysters usually yield one.

Our lunch stop was Mongolian BBQ...definitely a favorite on this trip. One thing about eating at restaurants in Shanghai is that you only get an 8oz glass of something to drink and only one serving of said drink, in our case this is usually Chinese beer. If you want more to drink, you either have to buy a bottle or switch over to tea...there’s always plenty of tea.

After lunch, we made a quick stop at a rug company where we saw a few rugs in the making. Prices range from $3,000 - $15,000.

On the road to the Shanghai Museum, it was apparent that the architecture in Shanghai sets itself apart from other cities. And yes, there is an IKEA in Shanghai.

We went on to spend an hour and a half at the museum, which had a great collection of ceramics, bronze work, early chinese coins and currency and jade artwork. It really does showcase the history of China through the different dynasties, but if you ever visit make sure you know about Chinese history as you really won’t get a good appreciation of what you are looking at. It was sunny as we left the museum and waited by the musical fountain for the rest of the group. People were running through the water spouts, as there were gaps you could walk through without getting wet. Mike decided he’d try to run to the middle and touch the center....he made it but not without getting soaked first.

The next stop was at the Yu Gardens, another quiet stop in the middle of a busy city. Here, there is a combination of water, rock and trees that make up a tranquil experience for visitors (quite a contrast from the market experience).

The market was a great experience. Having been in the markets in India, I had an expectation for what was to come, with people peddling goods on the street, store workers yelling around and trying to bring in customers and of course knowing that the price on the tag is not what you have to pay if you bargain. The combination of sights, sounds and the smells of the market food come together all at once; I would definitely recommend a visit- be warned though, you will get asked a million times to buy a rolex. Other than buying a pack of postcards, I didn’t do any shopping this time (I am going to wait until I get to India for that). We concluded the day with dinner and headed back to the hotel.

As I finish writing this ( it is 5:45am here and sunrise was about 20 minutes ago) I am getting ready for day 4, with company visits to Fluor and Avon. I am still waking up pretty early but am not sure if it is the jet lag or the early sunrise. Either way, I think I should be pretty adjusted over the next day or so. Anyways, until tomorrow....

Day 2 In Shanghai

Sun, 3 May 2009 20:40:20 -0400

It’s a cool and cloudy day today in Shanghai. I woke up after getting a decent amount of sleep , showered and had breakfast at the restaurant downstairs ( the hotel included breakfast for guests with food ranging from an omelette, prosciutto, sushi, dim sum, fruit, and lots of bread. I got back and used the morning hours to catch up with some friends over Skype.

I caught up on some reading for a bit and then went out to find some lunch. I walked down the street for about 5 minutes and found a restaurant that looked semi-legit. While I know there are a lot of great local spots that are around the area, I would rather play it safe until the rest of the group gets here so that Dr. Miller can give her recommendations. This restaurant had a specialty in goat meat...it was pretty good! The plates and chopsticks are set at each table in sealed plastic. As I ate at the table (still by myself at this point) I noticed the restaurant had a western theme to it, with a cowboy hat and leather on the wall as well some other items to give it a desert feel....
Left- sealed plates, glass, chopsticks. Right- fried rice and spicy goat.

The waiter at the restaurant was glad to get a chance to practice his english and we talked a bit about learning english in school. Didn’t get much further than that, but my Me No Speak guidebook did prove to be pretty helpful this time! Definitely helpful if you are going solo and don’t speak any Chinese; I’ve used it several times already.

On the walk back I went by one of the bridges to look at the view of the area. I will be doing plenty of sightseeing with the group tomorrow so I’m not in a rush to get out just yet.

Below: Left- looking across the river. Right- the hotel, on the left, looking across.

There are ads everywhere for the World Expo 2010: http://en.expo2010.cn/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Expo_2010

The theme is: Better City, Better life. Seems like a really cool event with 70 million people expected to attend next May....I think this might have Epcot beat.

Day 1 in Shanghai

Sat, 2 May 2009 11:36:12 -0400

Today I arrived in Shanghai after quite a long flight from Newark. I didn’t manage to sleep as much through this one. The flight flew over Canada and the Arctic and down over Russia to China

Each seat had it’s own in flight entertainment system with a few hundred movies, tv shows and music on demand, as well as a power outlet for your laptop so I was well entertained through the flight. I ended up watching Pirates of the Caribbean, Bedtime Stories and several episodes of Top Gear (including the Polar Special, which I thought to be appropriate given the then-present location of the airplane). 13 hours went by quick.

I also had a lengthy conversation with the passenger seated next to me, who was a Lucent returning from the NJ headquarters. We talked about things from the evolution of the company he worked for in China being bought out by Lucent. It went through a lot of changes before where it stands today, and one of the changes meant he went from having a boss who worked down the hall to having a boss who works in a different country (What would you do if your boss was 12 hours away?). We talked about education as well, a bit more about technology with the current trends in telecom and then about the Toyota Way compared to a military style leadership that he has seen in his company (yeah, i know...not typical in flight convo). We also talked about the history of aviation and wondered why this plane couldn’t go any faster based on the rate of progress in the previous years, economics aside.

When we arrived in Shanghai at 1:45pm today, I got off the plane and walked into PVG. There was anther international flight that had just landed about 1 minute behind us (a United 747) and there were a ton of passengers disembarking at that time...which led to a huge mob at the line for inspection and quarantine. The airport’s swine flu screening process included asking the passenger to fill out a sheet of paper with their residence for the past two weeks, asking them if they had any flu symptoms and listing a phone number. I didn’t see any of the thermal temp sensors that the news is showing...also on the Continental flight, one of flight attendants was enthusiastically encouraging people to share the newspapers with their neighboring passengers...not sure if that’s the best idea. Even with the mob at the inspection line, the queue moved quick ( trying not to think about Fredendall’s class at this point....) and I was out in a matter of minutes (also glad I went with all carry on luggage and nothing checked in). I went out and took the maglev train into town- 267mph on a train is impressive. What’s more impressive is how smooth of a ride it is thanks to the magnetic levitation system.

I got to the hotel and probably spent about 30 minutes trying to check in, as our travel agent had not told the hotel that I would be in a day early, so we were trying to track down the reservation but could only find tomorrow’s. Finally, I just went out about an hour ago to get some food- Dim Sum and a Japanese Kirin from a nearby store. There were some sketchy people who randomly walk up to foreigners on the street to ask them if they want a massage....uhm yeah, no thanks. I am definitely looking forward to the rest of the group getting here tomorrow. For now, it is time for bed.

Atlanta to Shanghai

Fri, 1 May 2009 09:53:27 -0400

It’s been quite a trip so far and I haven’t even left US soil. I finished up my last exam at 5:30 yesterday and got everything packed and ready to go. I got on the road, but stopped to stay goodbye to Frankie, James and John before I left. Turns out that was a good idea because the Saab’s electrical systems decided to stop working about a mile after I left their place. Rather it happen there instead of on the highway on the way to Atlanta. Fortunately, James’ brother Daniel as well as Caroline were able to come over in a few minutes and we moved it into a parking spot.

Caroline and I ended up getting to Atlanta around 1:00am with just enough time to catch a quick nap before Dan and Neville dropped me off at Hartsfield Int’l at 4:30am. ATL was pretty empty at this time in the morning, asides from what looked like a large group of Air Tran corporate employees going though on some sort of orientation or training...note to self- avoid 4:30am training sessions. I arrived at the gate and then ran into Angela Fors, who was on her way to Ft. Lauderdale...small world. I don’t remember much of the ATL-EWR flight, slept right through the entire way. I am now sitting in EWR next to the only power outlet station at the entire gate, of which only 3 out of the 4 outlets work. This dilemma led to a conversation with a fellow traveller as we traded off time on the power station. We started chatting about China and after talking more about the upcoming factory tours, I discovered he is a Senior Manager for Innovation at Avon in NYC. Avon is one of the companies that we will be touring in Shanghai, more to come on that later (also picked up on what I learned from Bob, Louis and Snowy on the right way to exchange a business card in China). We continued on about a variety of topics from project management to MBA programs and he departed with a few helpful tips for my arrival in Shanghai. Until next time, Dr. Yang.

Alright, about time to board the flight! Arriving in Shanghai at 1:45pm tomorrow afternoon!