My pictures

So, I've given you a taste of my pictures from abroad through my posts. However if you want to browse the motherload point your browsers to:

http://picasaweb.google.com/SloopJohnBSLW

And done. . .

I just finished all of my classes today with my OB final and Buyer Behavior presentation. With that my educational career in HK has come to an end. I'll wait to give the synopsis of my classes until my grades are in the GSB's hands. . . I might not need As, but I still need to pass.

Now that everybody's all done all of us students are going out for one last dinner and party tonight before we all head our separate ways. In the meantime I'm packing up my room, and getting ready to leave for Yangshou with sis and one of the Germans tomorrow night. I'll be back in HK for 2 nights before I leave for Japan, so this is not really good bye to this great city, but it's still kind of sad. . .

Chuc Mung Nam Moi

Allright back to Vietnam. . . We happened to be in Vietnam for Tet, the Vietnamese Lunar New Year, which is their biggest holiday of the year. (Also, the holiday that gave its name to the Tet offensive, but that was the topic of another post) After witnessing the holiday first hand, I wholeheartedly agree with the guidebook's description that it's like Christmas, Thanksgiving, and New Year's all rolled into one 4 day holiday.

We were in Hanoi for the run-up to Tet and the city was abuzz with activity. So much so in fact, that the Spaniard's friend commented that this was the most animated she had ever seen the population. Everybody was buying gifts for family, food for the big meals, and flowers and mandarin trees for decoration. To accomidate the crush of commerce, impromptu markets sprung up everywhere, especially along the side of major highways (and sometimes in the middle of major highways) which made getting around very slow moving.

This proved to be a significant hassle as we prepared to leave Hanoi to go to our next destinations, Hoi An and Hue in the center of the country. We had heard really good things about both destinations and thought that they would be good places to pass Tet since their beach access would allow us to while away days without worrying about things being closed for the holiday.

Given the aforementioned markets, our cab was caught in a lot of traffic on the way to the airport, and we had a tense ride where we worried about missing our flight. Luckily we got to the airport with enough time(5 minutes to spare), only to find the flight overbooked and the Spaniard's friend was designated the potential bumpee. The check-in lady explained that since it was Tet the flights were overbooked with Vietnamese returning home to their villages and preference was being to Vietnamese wanting to get home for the holiday. This was not the first time we had been discriminated against.However there was still 1 unclaimed seat and we only had to wait 5 minutes before the flight closed for check-in and she could get it. We anxiously watched for signs of any Vietnamese people, but luckily for us (and for them because the Spaniard was talking about blocking their path). Luckily nobody showed and we all made the flight with no problem.

We arrive in Hoi An 2 hours later to begin the Tet eve celebrations which included everybody in the whole town (and every tourist within a 100 mile radius) on the waterfront partying in anticipation. There was also a carnival set up where people could win various food items at various games along with bingo for bigger prizes. We all try our hands at one game and the Spaniard's friend wins a box of cookies. She asks "What am I going to do with this". . . well actually it was "Que voy a hacer con esta" but that's a small detail. . . Well she gives a cookie to one kid and soon that was no longer a problem.

At midnight the fireworks went off and we were treated to a 20 minute show. Everybody oohed and aahed at each firework. We're too spoiled in the US to get worked up over fireworks anymore, so it was kind of cool to see everybody really get into it. After the show we fight our way with the throng of humanity towards the heart of the party. Almost every store we passed along the way had opened their doors with offerings for the new year, which I assume was to bring good fortune.

Also along the way local kids were jumping behind the Spaniard, without him knowing, to see if the jump as high as the top of his head. Luckily he didn't get smacked, which from my vantage point almost happened 3 times. Our journey ended to find the party in high gear.

However we had to cut the festivities short, since somebody wasn't in a party mood:

The next day we toured around Hoi An, which is a great little town to spend a couple of days.

It's famous for its custom tailoring where people can get suits made in 3 hours for US$60. However given it was Tet most of the stores were closed. There were a few open, where I was able to buy some souveneirs for back home. Despite being double priced for the holiday, it was still very reasonable. However given the dearth of shopping we quickly decamped to the beach for some R&R.

While sitting in a beachside restaurant enjoying some lunch and a few drinks, a local girl approaches to offer her goods for sale. She really nice andfriendly but guilts us into buying some things by giving a sob story about how business hasn't been good lately and thus she needs to work on Tet. We buy some peanuts and Tiger Balm for about $3. As she leaves she says Chuc Mung Nam Moi which means Happy Tet (or lunar New Year in Vietnamese).

However, if it has a similar meaning to Kung Hei Fat Choi (Happy Chinese New Year in Cantonese), which literally translates into something like "Congratulations on getting wealthy" then our Vietnamese friend is off to a good start.

PS: Given their new years greeting, how the Chinese (or the Vietnamese for that matter) ever thought they were communist is beyond me and Tripper.

The 4.5 fingered man awaits

My sister just got here from Chicago to visit and travel with me as I take the long way back home via SW China and the GSB Japan trip this Sunday. Unfortunately she arrived just at the point where I actually have work to do for projects and finals. Oh well, I'm sure she'll be able to keep busy. . . there are many malls here in HK and she has brought a pretty empty extra suitcase.

Anyways the real reason for the post is to share the email I received from the hostel I reserved for us in Yangshou China via hostelworld.com. . .

Hi, SloopJohnBSLW:
We are warmly welcome you to the Yangshuo Culture House!
This is Wei who come from the Yangshuo Culture House, thanks a lot to book your room at the Yangshuo Culture House and your reservation XXXX-XXXX is good now. the room cost you pay that it's already including the three Chinese meals a day, the clean bed and the Chinese Culture experience as well.
Please give me a call when you are arrived in Yangshuo and we will have the free pick up in the Yangshuo city, you can call XXXX,XXXX if you use the Yangshuo local telephone.
And if you are use the foreign phone you can call as below:
XXXX,XXXXXX.
One thing that I would like to mention you that there are some people will try to cheat you, they will say they come from the Yangshuo Culture House, but they are not . there are only four and half finger in my right hand. so please just give me a call yourself directly to me and we will have the free pick up in the Yangshuo city.
All the best wishes and kind regards from the Yangshuo Culture House

Eventhough I'm leaving HK soon, the adventure will continue. . .

River of Gold

Okay, I'm going to take a break from recounting my travels to share today's events in Shenzhen. I went there yet again to pick up some clothes I was having tailor made. Unfortunately I left the PRC sans those clothes because A) the suit was too tight and thus needs further alterations and B) the shirt tailor was closed despite promising to be open today. . . Mother(*&(*@#&!. Oh well, such is life when you cheap out and go to Shenzhen for clothes. . .

Anyways, I decided to venture further into Shenzhen to do some souveneir shopping away from the more expensive "Commercial City" at the Lo Wu border. In order to leave the border I had to take Shenzhen's metro (which is very nice). I actually had a good excursion, which saved the day from being a complete wreck, and bought some gifts for family back at home and for my sister who's coming to visit me in HK in a couple of days.

On my return ride I was on guard for pickpockets, which are plentiful in Shenzhen. So, when I saw a seat open up I sat down in order to better protect my wallet. I thought nothing of sitting next to a father whose toddler was standing on the seat next to him. A minute or two later I saw the father jump out of his seat. He then starts tapping me on the shoulder with some urgency, but given I didn't speak Chinese I didn't know what was wrong. I was also a bit afraid it was a ruse to distract and pickpocket me. He then starts pointing to the seat next to me, and I look at what has him all worried. That's when I notice a yellow river being propelled my way due to the mometum of the train. Yes that's right his son pissed all over the bench.

He suddenly has my attention and I leap out of my seat. Luckily I escape getting wet by an inch or so. Meanwhile everybody in the train is having a good laugh at me, and does not seem to mind that the toddler has turned the train car into his own urinal. There were no looks of shock or disgust. For them it was another instance of a foreigner overreacting to something common over here. Although they did give the father tissue to help clean up after his son, which he dutifully did. They offer them to me as well, but thankfully I didn't need them.

I look to the kid and notice that his pants are not wet. As I'm contemplating how the hell the kid pissed all over the seat . . . I mean did he drop trou? . . . I notice that his pants have a slit open in the front and in the back and that there is no diaper (or anything of any kind for that matter since I saw flesh). He just let loose and his clothes were designed not to catch it.

What the ^%$&$^&?!?!! Do his parents let him make the world his bathroom?!?!?!

If so, I realize there could have been a much messier situation on the metro. . .

Going to Nam

Sorry for the lack of entries over the last couple of weeks. After we got into Vietnam I found it hard to both find the time to write and also to simply log-in to Blogger (hmm, the great chinese firewall caused me similar angst).

Anyways, the Spaniard and I had an incredible time in Vietnam. It's a great country with tons to see that definitely lived up to expectations. While there we traveled to Hanoi, Halong Bay, Hoi An, Da Nang, Hue, and Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). I'll get to a detailed travelogue later, but before I do here are some of my overall impressions of the country.

• There are plenty of tourists, but the country still feels a bit unspolied. They know how to deal with tourists, but it hasn't gotten too commercialized. For example, there were virtually no western stores or restaurants. In fact, restaurants and stores were often extensions of a family's home.
• The Vietnamese, on average, definitely tend to be on the smaller side (I'd say even smaller than the Chinese), maybe it's all the healthy food they eat. . . The spanish language has institutionalized this observation as I discovered that the spanish word for vietnamese is "vietnamITAs." For those of you who know spanish, the suffix should mean something to you. I was told by the locals a few times that I was Vietnamese sized (yes I know I'm short why did they need to point that out), but we as a group tended to stick out a bit due to the Spaniard. One of our guides provides an excellent example of how much he stuck out.

• The people in Vietnam, by and large, are extremely friendly. Given the history between our two countries I expected more of an undercurrent of hostility or at least stand-offishness. However people were generally friendly and smiling, especially when they had something to sell. Although, even when they didn't they would say hello as they passed us on motorbikes or on the street. The Spaniard's friend, who traveled with us and works at the World Bank in Hanoi, explained that the leader of the communist party, who lost many family members in the war, posted online to a citizen's forum (which apparantely is pretty big there) a response to a question about whether he held any ill-will to the Americans. He said something like "Yes the american government was imperialistic, but we should not hold that against the citizens of the country. Plus that was the past and we need to look to the future."


• Two types of architecture predominate and battle it out on the streets, french colonial and chinese. The influences are everywhere.

(a tomb outside Hue)

(the post office in Saigon. . . oops I mean Ho Chi Minh City)

• There is no doubt that the country is poor. The Spaniard's friend, said that the governments goal is to lift GDP/capita from $650 to over $1000 in order to be considered a "middle income" country. That being said, it appeared that people's basic needs were being met, it was more that things were less developed. This is especially true of their infrastructure. To get between Hanoi and the center of the country and then to Saigon the options were two 1 hour flights or a total of 40 hours on a train. . . (We definitely chose the more civilized way).
  
• The entire country is cheap, incredibly so actually. At 16,000 Dong to the dollar we had to get used to a completely different price level. Good meals where we'd order appetizers, entrees, beer, etc would be $5 per person. Opening bids at markets and stores would be $3 for a T-Shirt, $4 for a tie, $5 for a shawl (and quoted in dollars which are accepted as easily as dong). Even overpriced tourist bottles of water or coke would be $0.66. It almost made haggling not worth it, but fear not I still did it (remember cheapskate here.) However I would request that we negotiate in dong. I don't know. . . getting a discount of 5,000-10,000 dong felt better than a discount of $0.33 - $0.66.


• Despite being incredibly cheap, the food was incredibly good. Full of fresh healthy ingredients stir fried with tons of exotic and great flavors. It's also pretty healthy (as long as you stay away from deep fried spring rolls. . . ) I've grown a new appreciation for Vietnamese food, which I will be indulging on Argyle street upon my return.
  
• Traffic is a nightmare . . . everywhere. The only cars you see are mostly buses, taxis, and official vehicles. However the lack of cars is more than compensated by an abundance of motorbikes. Everybody in the country seems to have a motorbike which they seem to drive 24 hours a day. We read a statistic(in the inflight magazine upon departure of all places) that says there are 25 (unofficially 50) motorbikes for every car and despite the source we have no reason to dispute this. Moreover, these motos are always overloaded. . . dangerously so. . .You will see families of four perched on 1 moto all the time (Yes that little head you see is a child standing on a moto).



• Unfortunately, despite the massive amount of motos at every turn, there are few traffic lights. Supposedly they've only started installing them in the last few years. As a result, crossing the street was always an adventure and I felt a little uneasy everytime I did it. The local trick, which is very disconcerting, was to just start crossing the street at a constant predictable clip and let the motos avoid you. The spaniard's friend employed a modified technique of directing traffic (ie using hand motions to tell them to tell them to stop or go). As you can see it took a bit for me to get used to either method.

Despite my concerns, I ended up being a street crossing pro by the end of the journey. Needless to say I survived to have plenty of adventures in the country. More on those later. . .

Staying close to home

Ever since getting back from Beijing I've been in Hong Kong, or the environs like Shenzhen. Part of it has been forced on me, since I needed to get visas for my upcoming trip to Vietnam with the Spaniard (via Bangkok and Singapore - got a love how the student budget forces some unique itineraries and connections), and a GSB sponsored trip to Bangalore India to interview applicants to the Class of 09. No Passport = No travel, so HK it has been.

Not that it has been a bad thing, as I've gotten a chance to better know this amazing city(seriously everybody should put HK on their list of places to see). The most fascinating thing has been the contrasts and blends of east and west that I've been noticing on a daily basis:

• The street markets springing up outside Louis Vuitton stores.
• Buildings with dilapadated facades sporting beautiful lobbies.
• Modern skyscrapers being built with bamboo scaffolding
• HK Chinese sporting perfect English/Aussie/American/Candadian accents (Hi Josekin and Ivan!)
• Walgreen type stores selling chinese folk remedies, etc.
• Whole-Food type supermarket seafood sections selling live(well live before you purchase) fish swimming in tanks

Another thing I've noticed has been a subtle sense of insecurity amongst people here. Not insecurity on whether this is a great place, everybody seems to know that. More a sense of insecurity that they'll lose what they have. It takes many forms:

• The HK tourism board and government has plastered "HK: Asia's World City" on everything they produce. I've been to other "World Cities," and none of them make such an effort to proclaim their worldliness. It's like the kid who joins the popular crowd and has to remind everybody he's cool in order to reaffirm his position.
• By extension, the news reports I've heard, and been able to understand, talk about improving city services in order to "continue our status as a world city."
• People aren't shy about criticizing the Mainland, seemingly to distance themselves. In an almost reflexive manner, anytime I mention visiting the Mainland the conversation turns to how provincial and sleazy it is, esp when compared to Hong Kong. Not that they're completely off-base, but there can be some exagerations. For example, everyone here loves to cite either that everything is fake or that the need to be careful what you eat in the mainland since they have "fake eggs." Nobody themself has seen such a creation, but everybody knows of somebody who did. I find it a bit hard to belive since I've never seen these myself, and I mean why would you fake an egg when you can fake Adidas jackets?
• Anything that shows HK as anything less than miles ahead of the Mainland gets undue press. For example, the front page of the South China Morning Post had a front page article, and requisite commentary, that HK students in Australia were failing English proficiency tests at an equal rate as those in the Mainland. The tone seemed not so much to be aghast at the high faliure rate of 45ish%, but that the Mainland student failure rate was only slightly worse.

In a way, I can understand where this insecurity is coming from. HK has come so far so quickly. Recently I went to the HK History museum and saw exhibits highlighting Japanese occupation, the extremely overcrowded tenanments, unrest in the population that occurred not that long ago. In the pictures HK looked more "3rd world" than the modern metropolis we see today.

I guess the appearances were reality back then because during the fall, my grandmother's best friend, who is originally from China, heard I was coming here and got concerned enough to reach out and give me a lot of advice like: "watch out for kidnapping, because during the Japanese war(i.e. WWII) it happened a lot. Don't wear anything valuable at all, because during the Japanese war . . " She painted a picture of an extremely dangerous place, so much so that my grandmother's first question when I talked with her a couple of weeks ago was "Have you been pickpocketed yet?" A lot has changed in 60 years, but after having been to the museum I can see where her concern came from.

Having come so far so fast, I can see why HK might be worried about losing their position, especially since they are beholden to those North of the border.

One worry is that the government in Beijing starts meddling too much or worse abolishes the special status HK enjoys. Not that anybody I know sees that as too much of a risk, China would lose too much face by going against the agreement. More importantly having a vibrant HK benefits China through having an open port to the west, and meddling too much would make "one country two-systems" an even harder potential sell for Taiwan.

More worisome is the renewed competition from the Mainland. I keep hearing the word "marginalization" which highlights the HK anxiety. A lot of HK's success has been its status as entrepot into China. However as China, particularly Shanghai, booms there's concern that people will go directly to China instead of going through HK when. That's a definite worry, but HK has a lot of expertise and as many here like to say "it's all hardware and no software" up there. It still has advantages but HK can't rest on its laurels, as the mainlanders are catching on quickly.

However, competition will do HK good, and HK has overcome many challenges in the past as it will in the future. It's a dynamic place that will always find the next opportunity. As professor Young said in International Commercial Policy last spring. "The lesson from HK is that the talented will succeed no matter what."