Trip Report

Well I am back in Taipei. For me it was a crazy week and a half, I was in China, Laos, Thailand, Taiwan, and Hong Kong. For more pictures check facebook.

Day 1:

On Monday I went into the office for a few hours and worked like mad to take care of things before I left and make sure everything was in order. Then a coworker ran me to the airport. A few hours later I was in Bangkok where I checked into my hotel and spend 2 hours on my computer doing work.

After that I went to get some Thai food. I passed up on the fried cockroaches one lady was selling. Instead I got a pork dish that tasted about what I imagine napalm to taste like (see the picture). I loved it.

Day 2:

On Tuesday I got up at 3AM and caught a flight from Bangkok to Udon Thani in northern Thailand with our local agent who handles Thailand and Laos for us (he is also trying to get in touch with a Cambodian company for us, so who knows, I may find myself in Cambodia too). From Udon Thani we took a van to the Thailand-Laos border and I got a entry visa for $45 and crossed into Laos.

Two things to note: I now have US dollars, Taiwan dollars, Hong Kong dollars Chinese renminbi, Lao kip, and Thai baht. Also I try and travel light for trips—a bag with my work stuff like computer and another carry-on with clothes. Well I didn’t bring shorts and it was close to 90 the entire time was there in Laos and Thailand.

From the Thailand-Lao border we took a taxi about 30 minutes into the capital Vientiane. It is the exact opposite of Bangkok—small, turns in early, the tallest building is 10 stories but most aren’t over 5, you can walk anywhere in the city, dusty, and dry heat. I will say that the people are quite nice. What caught me off guard was the enormous number of backpackers in the city; it is just crawling with them. The other thing that caught me off guard were the prices—for a can of Pepsi (there is no coke in the country and they have a lot of glass bottle cokes) for 5000 Lao kip or about 59 cents. It’s not every day that you pay 3,000 for a bottle of water—so everything was pretty cheap but seemed expensive. After we checked into our hotel we went to meet the marketing department of LTC for some initial introductions and I had a few moments to check my work email. And then went to lunch at a very good restaurant with two managers. From there we went to headquarters of LTC to buy their bid documents.

I was in slacks, a shirt, and tie so I felt a little overdressed walking around on the street. That night I went to one of the famous ex-pat hangouts with the local agent. I had thankfully been able to find some strong mosquito repellent that day since the mosquitoes were out in force. In between meetings that day I was able to walk to a Buddhist temple and take some pictures when I was stopped by a novice monk who spoke English. That night I learned our local agent has over 4,000 American records and has already sold over 10k.

I also learned on the Internet that it is illegal for a foreigner to have sex with a Laotian, 180 degrees different in Thailand.

Day 3:

On Wednesday I was up early and we went to stop into the office of the second largest telecom in Lao. I was caught off guard to find about 5 foreigners working there, including the French guy we met with. From there we went back to the customer's office and took the marketing team to lunch. At 2PM I gave our company presentation to their marketing department, including the top marketing manager. I used English so I really have no idea how much they understood. We then took a tuk tuk (a supercharged tricycle with room for a few people in the back) to the third largest telecom in the country where I gave a short presentation. Then we went back for a private meeting with marketing and took 2 of them to dinner. I wish I had my camera. It was an outdoor restaurant where you ate by candlelight next to the Mekong River.

Day 4:

The last day I had no meetings scheduled. So went out for a walk to try and find the famous Wat That Luang temple. I walked the wrong way and really regretted wearing jeans in heat that was in the 90’s but seemed hotter.

Well I eventually took a tuk tuk to the temple. I did so after a lot of bargaining when the drivers realized that I knew the real prices for a local. Of course they wouldn't let me have the low prices, "No Lao same same," was the phrase they used.

It was really amazing but also incredibly hot.

When I got back to the hotel I got there in time to see some Canadian who had apparently spent a night drinking and then decided to pop some pills (among other substances) and wouldn't wake up. I got back as 4 people carried his ass to an ambulance.

At 3PM I caught a taxi to the Lao-Thai border and made it through Lao customs to the Thai side where I waited for over an hour in the hot sun in a line to get my passport stamped. The guy behind me was a big Norwegian who had been travelling around SE Asia for several months/years in big combat boots and a conical farmer’s hat.

When I made it through I was supposed to meet a guy to drive me back to Udon Thai. But there were probably 20 touts there all offering rides. After 30 minutes of more waiting I realized the guy holding the “Mr. Kiel” sign was waiting for me. Apparently my name sounds slightly like Kiel when it is said in Thai. That night I spent the night in Udon Thani. They don’t see to many foreigners since no restaurants, save the hotel, had English menus. I spent the night watching Thai kick-boxing on tv.

Day 5:

I got up early and took a taxi to the airport and flew to Bangkok. I got to Bangkok just in time and Cathay Pacific helped me run through security and customs and even held the plane for me and a few others who were late. I will say Cathay is great. They have amazing service, a free newspaper, and meals on each flight. Then I got into Taiwan about 7PM or so. It has been a pretty good few days. But I will have a ton to take care of on Monday at the office.

Prepare yourselves!

I will be back in the U.S. from July 6-19.

For those of you in Portland, Oregon: Prepare your livers.

For those of you not in Portland: first you should be in Portland since it's a damn good place...but during the aforementioned dates please take women and children inside. The Portland party may just cross state lines.

What a Difference a Year Makes

Last year I was having a rocking good time on St. Patty’s at ND with my buddies--boozing, house parties, and bars. This year I was at work. I also my weekly dinner with the old people I teach English too. Chicken soup was on the menu (with the whole damn thing put in a pot). Not a drop of booze for me yesterday.

Some Things

I'll post eventually about Xiamen and Laos. I put up some pics on facebook. The problem now is my wireless network at home is down.

I have been thinking about politics, as I am known to do, recently. The whole deal with Rush Limbaugh is what got me started on it. Listening to some of vitrol he spews I couldn't help but think how stuck he (and most of the Republican Party too) is in the past. His whole deal is that whatever Reagan said we need to do and follow.

Please, get it together. Reagan was right for his time and had solutions and policies that responded to specific conditions and situations in the 80's. Right now the conditions we have are a far cry from the 80's so let's not keep looking back to that. Update your thinking. Cutting income taxes sounds great--except when you consider we did it the last 8 years and it didn't do much and that Americans pay more in payroll taxes than in income taxes.

Republicans--please get some new ideas and help us get out of this mess that we are in or, God forbid, work with Obama.

Then again, forget all that stuff I just wrote. You are struggling to find anything solid in your party, so you fall back on the lions of the past like Limbaugh and Newt. Please continue to follow everything they say they led you to glory in the past they will do so again.

I kid, but I hope they do follow Rush. That will do more than anything else to crush them as a legitimate electoral force.

More to Come

Well I am chilling in the Hong Kong airport. I have now been to HK 3 times in the last year so that means I am eligible for a frequent visitor card next time I roll through.

I'll try and update this thing later after I get home and get some sleep. But Laos was good, I really liked it. Lots of heat, lots of dust, not much development, lots of mosquitos, cokes that cost 5,000 kip, and lots of backpackers.

Hello From Laos

Well I am hanging in a possible customer's office to wait for lunch with them. Laos is kind of the poor and undeveloped step-kid to Thailand.

There is only Pepsi here, there is no Coke. Speed traps are a cop sitting in a chair with a camera by the roadside and we were stopped by the cops for no reason earlier.

I have no internet access at the hotel so I'll try and stay connected where I can.

Hello from Bangkok

Well I was back in Taiwan for a few hours. I'll write more later on the goings on in Xiamen.

I am in Bangkok now. I have to be at the airport here at 5AM to catch a flight to the north and then go into Laos by car.

I need to get some rest but first this gem. On the taxi ride from the airport my driver turned to me and said "lady-boy" or something close to that. Now in Thailand ladyboys are trannies or katoeys. Well come to find I the driver was trying to say I was a ladies man. Hell yeah, I told him "women yes, katoey no."