Next China

Oh, Boy - China!

There were no problems entering China. But you know you are in China. I had to pinch myself, this kid from Long Island City in New York now in China. Never in my wildest dreams would I have ever thought this would happen. Boy, if only my mother could see me know.

We were met at the airport by Sam Wang's mom, Hong Zhen, and her translator and adviser, Sabrina. It was a heady discussion all the way

from the airport to the Beijing Hilton about college preparation and other matters that arevery important to Sam's mother. Sabrina is a very spirited individual that doesn't pull any punches and cuts to the quick right away. Raylene and I knew up front that we were in for a feisty visit to Beijing.

Without wasting any time, we were off to a buffet lunch at the hotel and in to the car for a trip to

Tian An Men Square and the Forbidden City.

Awesome, just Awesome. To see these images all those years on our televisions for various reasons most recently during the Beijing Olympics. Now to actually be here! Amazing! That's me in front of the outside wall of the Forbidden City. I've included a photo of Tian An Men Square, but it really doesn't do justice to the actual visual of being there.

You cannot believe what's behind that main gate to the Forbidden City. It is a huge

conglomeration of rooms (each the size of a palace) in which the kings of China lived. The whole history is too long to get into here. Raylene tells me we all need to watch the movie The Last Emperor to get a sense of the spectacle. We walked the whole compound. It's got to be a mile or more.

From there, we were off to the Olympic Village to see the Water Cube and the Bird's Nest. These where the venues for the swimming and track events of the 2008 Olympics. That's Sabrina and her husband, Chris, with Raylene inside the Water Cube. There's a photo of me in front of the mascots. We must have walked miles today.

Now off to dinner at a truly Chinese restaurant that I cannot tell you the name. We were joined by Sam's dad, Xuetao Wang. We were entertained by traditional Chinese musicians and another artist that changed the look of his face without you seeing how he did it. An amazing act. Unfortunately I have no pictures. Raylene does and I'll share them later. I'm not going to say anything about the food, but how about a serving of chicken feet?

I'm Back!

Now, where was I?

We were headed to the airport last week for our trip to Korea. Before going on, let me just say that this has been one whirlwind of a trip. We seem to be constantly running to airplanes, meetings, lunches, dinners, and then falling into bed just to start all over again the next day. I am actually writing this on the occasion of us having the first free morning of the whole trip. It is Sunday here in the second week of the trip and we are only now getting some needed downtime. We start up again this afternoon meeting with the parents of our Shanghai Chinese students.

So, as I was saying, we headed for the Tokyo Airport to catch our flight to Seoul where we were met by Young Min Choi's mom and whisked off to the JW Marriott. After getting settled we were back out for dinner at the Samwon Garden Restaurant for some Korean beef. Great feast! A wonderful meal with both parents of Young Min, Dr. Choi and his mom, Yeon Ho Huh. That's all of us together at the restaurant which is owned by LPGA player Grace Park's dad That's one of Grace's awards in the background in the picture.

Next day off we went again. This time with Joon Ho "Brian" Choi's parents for a ride through some unbelievable traffic to a really, really authentic Korean food restaurant named Phil Kyung Jae. OK, now I know you all warned me about spending too much time describing the food, but you come over here and try it and then let me know what you think. There must have been at least 25 different dishes of every sort of food type you could imagine and of some that you never knew existed.

But, it all took place in a setting that was really fascinating. The restaurant is actually a house that was constructed in the 1400s during the reign of King Sungjong, the ninth King of the Joseon Dynasty. By the way, the name of the restaurant means "Respect for the Elderly." No Jokes please. We had desert in the outside garden despite the need for an overcoat. This is where Brian's parents, he a medical doctor and she a university Ph.D., Won Suk Choi and Joo Won Jung gave a gift for us to take back to Brewster. I've included a photo of the entrance way to the restaurant/house.

Back through the traffic for dinner with Tyson Lee, Young Min Lee's father. Young Min's mom did not join us due to an injury she suffered at her school. She is doing well and expected to be just fine shortly. A great time with Tyson. We got to know each other last year and this time was no different. Good talk, fine food. This time we ate at a French restaurant owned and operated by a former employee of Tyson's that left Samsung and headed to London to learn the restaurant business. He returned just a few years ago and has been very successful ever. That's all of us in the photo including the proprietor's wife.

After dinner we met up with Brewster alum Sung Joo Kim. After Brewster, he went on to Indiana University and is now a global derivatives associate with E*Trade. That's Sung Joo in the photo.

Funny to be here at the same time as the G20 Summit. We had a significant number of press at our hotel. It is interesting watching the news in Asia. It is reported from a totally different

prospective than we get at home. We are so self centered in the U.S. The rest of the world pretty much thinks we are all screwed up and that our currency is almost dead as the world's benchmark. I will say, both Raylene and I clearly have seen that the dollar is not worth what it was even last year. Things seem so expensive here. The dollar's value is really falling.

Up again and out for a tour and lunch with Shin Bum Park's parents, Kyung Ho Park and In Young Choi. This time we ate at the Min's Club, a traditional Korean setting with a western approach to its cuisine. Another nice eating experience. This time Raylene stayed back to prepare for this evening's presentation. While with Shin's folks, I got to see the Gyeongbokgung Palace again. I cannot say enough about the hosting the parents provided us. They are all very wonderful people.

Back to the hotel where we met and dined with the members of our Korean Parents Association. We had a treat for our parents. We asked Beau Jackson, an alum from the class of 1987, now living and serving as a university instructor in Seoul to join us. The parents were pleasantly surprised to meet a Korean speaking American who happened to also graduate from Seoul. I might also add that Beau was really surprised at Brewster's presence in Korea. That's him in our group photo with the parents. It was at the end of our gathering that Jin Il Lim and his wife, Eun Mi Cho, gave a gift to Brewster. Jin Il Lim and Eun Mi Cho are the parents of Luke and Sol Lim.

We also gathered with a good number of other Korean alumni after dinner. As was the case in

Japan, all had a few laughs discussing the past and catching up on what's new with each other.

With a need to get ready for our next leg of the trip, I headed for the room to finish packing and to grab as much sleep as possible before getting down to the lobby for our bus ride to the airport at six in the morning the next day.

We Are Off To Seoul This Morning

We are off to Seoul this morning after two days here in Tokyo. The first day saw us visiting the Harajuku section of the city, well known as the fashion capital of the world for young ladies. This also happens to be where the Japanese education consultants, EDICM, maintain their offices. EDICM and a few others are the firms the Japanese turn to for help in placing their children in the proper schools of the United States. This is done for a fee. It helps us to stay in touch with these consultants. Raylene Davis also interviewed a prospective student while there.

While Raylene was busy spreading the good news about Brewster, I took myself off to the Meiji Jingu (Shrine) built in 1920 to honor the Divine Meiji and his consort, Empress Shoken. The original shrine was destroyed in 1945 during the bombings of WWII. The present shrine was rebuilt in 1958. While there, I witnessed a photo session of a Shinto wedding party as well as a number of little three, five, and seven year-old children in their finest kimono that have been taken by their parents to the shrine to pray for their children's future health and fortune. This is part of the festival Shichi-Go-San that takes place this time each year.

That little tower I referred to in my last blog is not that little. It is 13 meters taller than the Eiffel Tower of which it was modeled after. It too was built in 1958, as a communications tower. It is now considered too short in the analog gone digital world.

Saturday night we met up with a large number of Japanese alumni for dinner and a great time in the Ginza section of town. We had alums spanning the classes of 1997 up to 2005. Many of them had not met each other before and many were happy to renew friendships begun at"BA." What a fun loving group. They all reminisced about their days at Brewster. "Those were the good days," laughed many of them.

By the way, if Harahjuku is the epic center of teenage fashion, Ginza's shopping can rival that of Fifth Avenue in New York City for adults. Lots of lights people scurrying everywhere.

I'm still holding my own in the eating department. Having already been in Asia, has conditioned me for what I may encounter. I've already had sushi and other raw fish I would not normally eat at home. Japanese cuisine is quite good actually. The food in each Asian country is different from each other. What is universal is the use of chopsticks. I'm much more open to what's served this trip than I was last year. It is funny how we all are so acclimated to our own surroundings. These folks go into some of these little restaurants along the way like we do in Wolfeboro when we stop into Wolfgang's Pizza. In many cases, I have no idea what they are eating, but they sure do appear to be relishing whatever they are eating. No pun intended.

Yesterday, we met some of our current Japanese parents for consults and lunch. Raylene spoke to them about their child or children's progress while I spoke to and presented them with proposals for supporting Brewster with a gift. We were both well received and it appeared that the parents were happy with our visit and the exchange of conversation. Most of the parents had not known each other prior to our gathering.

We are off to the airport on our road trip to Asia.

In Tokyo

Arrived last night after a 14 hour plus flight from Detroit. We flew up over Canada's Alberta and British Columbia provinces, then over the Gulf of Alaska, out over the Bering Sea, down along the coast of Siberia, and down into Narita, Japan.

Had a fellow named Don Pond sit next to me on the flight. I've been flying for years and never talked to a seat mate as long as I did with Don. Don flew helicopters in Vietnam. He was on his way to Thailand to meet up with two other Americans that were in flight school with him back in 1968. They were going to ride bikes up into Vietnam once they all convened in Bangkok. Actually they were taking one more flight up into the upper regions of Thailand before they joined up with a bike tour group that were going into Vietnam on a 500-mile ride. I

expressed amazement and he likewise with me going to Tokyo, Seoul, Shanghai, Beijing, and Taipei all in just over two weeks. We wished each other luck when we disembarked. We promised each other to email each other when we got back to make sure we both made it in good shape. It was a good flight.

To acclimate myself to the change in time zones,

I try to stay awake the whole flight. Even though you doze off on occasion, you can still keep

yourself awake much of the time. Since we landed in late afternoon of the next day, you could trick your mind into thinking it was just the end of the day of which you started out in the morning by getting on the plane in Boston. It worked, since I slept through the night and am up and feeling pretty good this morning.

It was a one hour and 45 minute bus ride from the airport to the Prince Park Tower Hotel in Tokyo. What was fun about the ride was the service from the very moment you bought your ticket to the time you got off the bus. Everyone smiles and bows at you. The level of detail the employees give to all aspects of their jobs is overwhelming. I'm talking about every level of employee from the guy who puts your bags in the undercarriage of the bus to the driver. They act like they've got the most important job in the world and that your life depends on them. This continued right into the hotel and to the waitstaff in the restaurant.

Joined up with Raylene Davis in a Yakitori restaurant at the hotel upon arrival. For those not familiar with the Brewster folks, Raylene is in charge of our Thai Scholar program and our Summer programs. She was previously director of our ESL program and had lived in Japan for a good number of years before having moved to the States. So she knows her way around and also knows the food. Good on, as she says. She's an Aussie. This Yakitori restaurant specializes in grilled chicken. OK, you all knew I was apprehensive about the food in Asia, not tonight. It was great! It was very nicely done in that the grilling is very light and the food very favorable. I'm off to a good start with my epicurean adventures.

Headed right to bed after an after dinner glass of wine. The night photo above was taken from my room just before I hit the sack. It is a landmark and I just don't know the name of it yet. It looks like a mini Effel Tower. The other shot was taken this morning.

More later.

Here I Go Again - Off to Asia Thursday

Almost all plans are in place for the upcoming trip.

Leaving Asia Behind Tomorrow Morning

What a last day in Bangkok!

With all of the best intentions, I took a taxi over to the Grand Palace for a tour. When I got there some poorly English speaking guys told me the Palace was closed until 1:00 p.m. It was only 11:00 a.m. Bummer! I decided I didn't want to hang around for two hours since I had some shopping I wanted to do. So I hailed a taxi, showed him where I wanted to go on my map of Bangkok, and he nodded and said OK. He first took me to an executive office building at which the securityy guard told him he was wrong and where he needed to go. Next he dropped me off at what I perceived was close to where I wanted to go. I got out and made a left hand turn and walked for two hours trying to extricate myself out of my dilemma. I got lost and really had a hard time finding my way back to the hotel even with my map. I ended up down some ally and thought, "boy have you really screwed up." I put my best scowl on and walked back to the main road. Long story short - I got back. Not much fun. Man there are Russians and Germans all over the place.

After a relaxing lunch, now that I was OK, I went shopping.

That's it - I went shopping.

I'm just about packed and fly out tomorrow morning on a 6:35 a.m. flight.

I want to share with a few last pictures that catch the flavor of Bangkok. As you may know, Thailand is a Buddist country. It has many temples large and small. The one on the corner of a major intersection intrigued me because of the number of people who stop to pray. Notice all the ventures that cater to the needs of the faithful.

There are some other shots of the vendors that are all over the streets. Unfortunately, the camera cannot give you the smells. Oh those smells.

Did I mention dogs? Buddists don't harm life. So the dogs stroll in the streets and lay on the sidewalks with no one giving them a hard time.

Coming Down to the Finish Line Dec. 13th

We are back in Bangkok after spending yesterday in Pattaya, a beach resort city on the Bay of Bangkok in the Gulf of Siam on the northern edge of the China Sea . We were the guests of Suarachai Tangiaitrong, Bank's dad. We toured and ate at the Silver Lake Winery and stayed the evening at the Ravindra Beach Resort and Spa. A good time was had by all. The Silver Lake Winery is a wonderful place to visit and I can see why so many people stop to see it.

But before I go on, we left Taipei on Friday, Dec. 11th. The Taipei airport was packed. Lines everywhere. We managed to get to the ticket counter of EVA Air (never heard of them - they are similiar to Air Tran in US). We had a very nice ticket agent that for some reason upgraded us to business class. That was a real blessing. The flight from Taipei to Bangkok is just under four hours. The number of Chinese travelling is overwhelming. You will enjoy this: they have a security system that looks just like ours, but that's where the similarity ends. They don't make you take your shoes off or take your computers out off your luggage. It is very loose. Hard to believe> I guess there really isn't any reason to worry. Screw around and the Chinese will get you. That would make most careful.

Landing and getting out of the Bangkok airport was a real hassle. So many people. So many long lines at customs. Surachai and Dennis Dila, Surachai's right hand man, met us at the airport. Dennis recognized us by the Brewster baseball cap I was wearing. Lots of jovial banter exchanged before we pulled out for the city.

We had some time to get settled into our hotel, the Grand Centre Point, right in the center of the city. This hotel is top shelf and yet the cheapest to stay in on our entire trip. We dined at the Reflexions Restaurant, got acquainted, and talked about Thiland and other matters. It was agreed we would all go to Pattaya the next day to visit the winery and the city.

What caught my attention was the amount of security at all the hotels in town. Everyone of them have very visible security guards checking every car that comes into the entry ways. Not a big deal, but a reminder of what is possible here in a country near Indonesia.

Great time in Pattaya and at the Winery. After dinner, we headed into the city for a walk down the Walking Street where there was a large number of girlie shows and so many bars. The number of Thai girls willing to hookup was truly amazing. There were so many Russian guys in the town. All of them very willing to find a girl. Surachai new a special place, The Blues Factory, were the music was top notch. The three of us enjoyed taking it all in - the music and the maturations of the night.

A night of sleep and a lazy lunch at the side of the gulf was the order of the next day before we drove back to Bangkok. Surachai suggested a Thi food dinner at 7:30. Offer taken.

With me leaving in a two days, we squeezed some shopping in before dinner. You cannot believe the food and merchandise kiosks on the sidewalks in town. So many food smells I've never experienced before and the things for sale are amazing. All these people trying to make a living. We are so lucky in the U.S.

Dinner was great! It was my first real Thi food experience. This was a seafood treat. Prawns, crab, grouper, soup, and rice. All served with varying types of sauce that had a kick to them that was seducing. The all tasted wonderful when you first put them in your mouth, but it wasn't long before the fire snuck into your taste buds and you had to find some cold white wine to help cool down the fire. I loved it. They deep fried the grouper and then you just pulled the meat right off the fish. See the photo of the fish after we nailed it (Sorry about the ugly photo - it didn't look as good as I had hoped in the end result - but I did not know how to delete it). Love Thi food.

After dinner we all went off to catch the closing ceremonies of the King's birthday. While driving over to the festivitiesw, we got pulled over by the police for not wearing seatbelts. Surachai's driver told them to give him a picket, but the wanted to negotiate. To keep them happy, we gave them 100 Bart ($3.00) to let us go. This celebrating his birthday has gone on for more than a week. There were fireworks right over head, that was a little scary. Lots of vendors and people. And the lights, oh so many lights. The King's Palace lighted at night was spectacular. We were lucky to be in Bangkok at this time of the year to catch this amazing celebration.