A Smaller World?

After three weeks of travel I am ready to be home.  It’s been more than 20,000 miles, 12 different hotel rooms and countless hours in cars and taxis.   My curiosity has been satisfied and the wanderlust I often experience has been tamed - at least for awhile.  It’s now time for the simpler pleasures in life - hugs from my grandsons, the comfort of my own bed and planning Easter dinner for an extended family next Sunday.  I’m looking forward to all of it.

So what have I learned?  What will I do differently?

The world continues to grow smaller and more connected.

Multi-continent conference calls are the new normal. It’s still tough to find times that work well for all.  There are many US and European labels in China.  It’s only a matter of time before we see Asian labels in the US besides “Made in China” or “Made in Taiwan”.  We have plenty of Japanese products for cars and electronics.  The other Asian countries have some catching up to do with regards to marketing.

iPhones are just getting started in China and sales are booming.  There is a tremendous appetite for luxury goods and labels in China’s largest cities.  The billboards and magazine ads are dominated by imported cars and expensive, European watches.  Wealth has exploded in China in the past 20 years.  Construction was booming in all of the cities I visited.  This trend is likely to continue.

Capitalism works, but China is proof that a managed economy works too.

My first impression of Taiwan is that capitalism got it right.  The roads and highways are wide and well maintained.  Traffic is relatively orderly and sensible.  There’s order to the placement of industry and housing - i.e. western style zoning.  Folks patiently wait their turn or place in line.  20th century western investment and capitalism have helped to produce an independent, western style democracy in Asia.  It was a pleasure to visit.

In spite of everything, China works and continues to develop.  The unbridled, double digit economic growth creates chaos.  New roads, expanding highways, new housing complexes, more new cars/drivers, new office buildings and new industrial complexes leads to an ever changing infrastructure landscape.  If a city of 20M grows 2.5% per year, they are adding 500,000 residents per year.  It’s a staggering number that means more houses, jobs, cars (and parking spaces) every year.  Yet, crime is almost non-existent and there is a peaceful resignation that things take time so there’s no point in being anything but patient.  Air traffic and the number of people who can afford to fly domestically is also on the rise.

All wines produced in the Napa Valley are good, but some wines are better.

Napa Valley is an incredible slice of God’s creation and is somewhat unique in our world.  It’s 37 miles long and 4 to 5 miles wide in spots - that’s it.  It’s unique location between two mountain ranges and near the Pacific Ocean have created a micro-climate that is perfect for growing highly desirable grape varietals with character and complexity. If you have the chance and are in the San Francisco area, then it’s worthwhile to drive an hour north to see the Napa Valley.

Over the three days we sampled ~45 wines and visited 11 of 425 wineries.  We did not have a bad wine in four days.  One of our last stops on Wednesday was the xxx yyyyy Winery along the Silverado Trail.  The wines were good; all delicious and wines that I would be proud to serve to any guest.  So why didn’t I buy any?

• They were not unique or noteworthy
• We had sampled some incredible wines earlier in the day (kinda spoiled after that),
• And, they were above our perceived value curve - think 0-100 scale on x-axis and $’s we’re willing to pay on y-axis.  They were too pricey for the value I perceived.

The best wines are not available through retail chains.

It’s sad but true.  The best vintages from Napa Valley are held back for preferred customers and collectors.  They’re also very limited in the number of cases produced.  We joined a couple of wine clubs to try over the next year.  I’ll be disappointed, if they’re not much better than those I buy locally from our grocer.

San Francisco is nice; but the real treasures are the Pacific Coast, Muir Woods, Napa Valley and Yosemite.

We spent Friday in San Francisco being tourists and doing tourist things - boat tour around the harbor, rode the cable cars, walked through Chinatown, ate seafood at Fisherman’s Wharf and took many photos.  We will likely return to the Bay area but it will be to go to Napa and Yosemite.  There’s nothing wrong with San Francisco we just see little reason to return.  It’s now on our “been there, done that” list.

The tour on the excursion boat was my favorite.  We chose Red & White Cruises.  Our cruise was ~ 1 hour and circled under the Golden Gate bridge, described local landmarks and wrapped up  by circling Alcatraz Island.  Alcatraz is still a creepy, intimidating place.

So what will I do differently?

I really need to learn a second language.  It continues to be a source of embarrassment when I travel internationally.  I need to choose one and stick with it for a couple of years with the help of a tutor.

Visit fewer wineries on our next trip to the Napa Valley.  We’re narrowing our focus a bit. Time to slow down and spend more time enjoying and less time tasting.  It would also be nice to return in October or perhaps early November.

Add a visit to Yosemite on our next trip to San Francisco.

Pack fewer dress shirts and more casual clothes.  This is the first time that I limited myself to one carry-on size suitcase for a two week trip.  It worked with the help of the hotel laundry service.  I had two more dress shirts than I needed and there were a couple of times that I would’ve liked to have had a nice, collared golf-style shirt.

Work to add stops in Beijing and Hong Kong on the next visit to China.

Napa Valley - Day #2

Castello di Amorosa

Happy St. Joseph’s Day - March 19 is the Feast Day for St. Joseph and is the only day of Lent that we set aside our fasting and truly celebrate.  Incidentally, this was my day to drive so I was limited to taste and dump while Tracy fully enjoyed the fruits of Napa Valley.

An hour worth of research on Monday evening paid dividends today.  We selected four wineries based on our tastes and interests.  They were:

Ø  Provenance

Ø  Castello di Amaroso

Ø  V. Sattui Winery

Ø  Mumm Napa Valley

I will leave the wine critiques to the professionals.  I am a rookie, amateur at best with regards to wine but we do know what we like and enjoy.  The overall experience and highlights of each winery are noted below.

Ø  Provenance

Our first tasting of the day was a positive experience.  It helped that we were the only customers so the staff was unhurried and courteous.  They patiently answered our questions and listened as we described our tastes and preferences.  This winery (also bottles under the Hewitt label) was once owned by an heir of John Deere Company.  The sauvignon blanc and their big, bold reds matched our palates.

We signed up for a wine club membership from Provenance.  Four to five times per year Provenance will send us three bottles of wine for our drinking pleasure.  The membership also comes with some attractive discounts and courtesy tastings at associated wineries.  This also relieved me of the anxiety and expense of shipping my wine home or safely transporting it in our checked luggage.

Ø  Castello di Amaroso

Dario Sattui has created a unique experience with his vision and dedication to authenticity.  He’s reconstructed a medieval castle in the midst of the Napa Valley that actually complies with strict California building codes.  Our $28 admission included a barrel tasting, wine tasting and guided castle tour.  The entire tour was ~2 hours and was highly entertaining.  Many of the bricks, fixtures and furniture were imported from Italy and collected over several years.  Construction took 14 years and was completed in 2006.  It is truly a new, old castle – quite an accomplishment.  We toured a bit less than half of the castle; the other half is a fully functioning winery.  The engineer in me could not help but be impressed by the quality of the construction and the attention to detail.  It even has a torture chamber, dungeon and moat. 



Ø  V. Sattui Winery and Italian Market

We chose this winery largely because of their on-site deli, market and picnic area.  It was a great lunch stop for our day.  They have over 200+ cheeses to choose and a full deli counter with Italian style entrees and sandwiches.   

We had a chilled rose’-style wine.  It was a dry, red Rosato which was perfect for our picnic of mushroom Arancini, sausage stuffed Portobello, goat cheese and edamame salad.  It is one of the most visited wineries in the country.  The picnic tables were set among old oak trees that offered much shade.

The grounds of V. Sattui near St. Helena

Ø  Mumm Napa Valley

My wife loves sparkling wines and this is Mumm’s specialty.  The Mumm facility is right off of Silverado Trail and not quite as easy to find as the first three which were alongside Hwy 29.  The best part of Mumm is the tasting terrace with spectacular views of the vineyards and the mountains.  Carlos Santanna collaborated with their winemaker on a specific, bubbly blend that is aptly named Santanna and features a peace sign.

For the record, both glasses of bubbly belong to Tracy.

 

San Francisco and Napa Valley - Day #1

Jet lag from yesterday’s trans-Pacific flight caught up to me and flat out kicked my butt.  I was in good shape until about 1 o’clock and then the wheels came off the bus.  I was able to gut it out without being “too” irritable.  My goal was to make it to 10 pm before falling asleep; I made it to 9:20.  In spite of the challenges we had a great day.

Notes, Highlights and Recommendations:

Ø  For spectacular views of the Pacific Ocean and a gorgeous drive, recommend Hwy 92 to Half Moon Bay and then turning north onto Highway 1 – Pacific Coast Highway.  It took us about an hour to drive north into San Francisco from Half Moon Bay.  You’ll know where to stop for fantastic photos.  As a land-locked Midwesterner, I get excited when I see an ocean.

Ø    No visit to San Francisco is complete without driving across the Golden Gate Bridge.  The traffic was not too bad on a late, Monday morning.  There are spots for photo opp’s on either end of the bridge.  The route to the Golden Gate Bridge was well-marked and easy for us to follow.

Ø     As you drive north over the Golden Gate Bridge I recommend that you continue on Hwy 101 for ~10 minutes and visit Muir Woods National Park.  Here you can walk among the Giant Redwoods for a nominal fee of $7/adult.  It’s difficult to describe the grandeur and majesty of the mightiest of trees.  We took many photos but struggled to capture their scale.  The photo of me below is as close as we got.  If you look closely you can see me at the base of the tree in the center.

Ø     Oxbow Market in Napa is a great place for a quick immersion into the food and wine culture of the Napa Valley.  Know it sounds odd but my favorite dish was the “Nachos Not”.  You can choose from fresh oysters, crepes to order, wood-fired artisan pizzas and Mexican fusion cuisine.  For the latter, think roasted duck tacos.

Ø     We’re very pleased with the room at the Napa River Inn.  It’s an outstanding get-away in the heart of downtown Napa alongside the Napa River.  The room is comfortable and spacious, plus Tracy is putting the corner fireplace to good use.  Oh yeah, they will also deliver complimentary breakfast to your room each morning from Sweetie Pie’s.   

A couple of other notes from our first experience to Napa and the Napa Valley:

Ø It can be overwhelming; there are 100’s of wineries to choose.  You can realistically visit three to four per day (they generally close by 5 pm).  Talk with friends and family who have visited for their recommendations.  Cross that list against the type and style of wine that you like so you can narrow your focus.  It’s a bit intimidating at first, but is better once you have had a tasting or two. 

Ø     The city of Napa is the largest city in the region with a population ~75,000.  It’s also where most of the hotels in the region are located.  It is NOT the scenic haven that is associated with the Napa Valley.  For that you need to drive 15 – 20 minutes north along Hwy 29 toward St. Helena. 

Ø     Our first night was a sleepy, Monday in March.  Many shops and restaurants were closed by 7 pm.  You need to check ahead and plan accordingly.

 

Shanghai S&T Museum Market - You Decide

If you're fortunate enough to visit Shanghai, then I recommend taking Subway Line #2 (Green Line) to the Shanghai Museum of Science and Technology.  I've been here a few times during my two trips to Shanghai but have never entered the museum.  I go for the underground market in the basement of the museum that is adjacent to the subway stop. 

The deals and labels are not what they were in 2009.  Seems that the industry of counterfeit, luxury goods is on the wane.  Overall:

• quality of goods is better
• prices are ok
• far fewer designer labels

So why recommend the stop?  The culture and experience - you buy what you negotiate.

Except for cars we rarely engage in negotiations when retail shopping in the US.  It's just not part of our culture.  Here, it's expected and necessary.  The game has some unwritten rules with a particular rhythm.

You walk into a shop, find an item of interest and of course there is no price tag.  You ask about the price of the item and the game begins.  Let's say it's a nice handbag for your wife.  They'll immediately tell you that you have an excellent eye for quality and that your wife is very fortunate to have someone like you shopping for them.  They'll ask where you're from.  "What brings you to Shanghai?" After a couple of minutes you'll need to remind them that you would like a price.  They'll generall quote you a price of 600 - 800 RMB (~6 RMB/USD).  You politley decline and start to leave.  At this point they'll ask you what price are you willing to pay. 

You're now at the critical juncture - your opening bid in the negotation.  I generally recommend beginning at 10-15% of their initial price.  So in this case you open with 80 or 90 RMB.  They'll talk about the fine quality of the product, the fine leather maybe even the quality of the zipper and snaps.  They're losing money but would agree to sell it to you for 350 RMB.  It's advisable to begin leaving and politley stating that you're just too far apart to negotiate further.  They'll stop you and hand you a calculator to place another bid.  So you bump up to 110 RMB.  At this point they will fein insult and hurt with even some anger.  They'll say that they already dropped their price by 50% and you're only going up a little bit.  And it continues like this for awhile until you agree on a price. 

A few notes:

• I'm not that good at it.  The haggling gets old quickly and I usually end up buying an item for an extra 20 or so RMB.  Yes, it cost me an extra $3 but I was done.
• They'll negotiate lower price with Chines natives than westerners.  Take a friend with you the first time, if possible.
• Stay focused.  Decide what you want and don't get distracted.  They have just about everything imagineable in this market.

This is Tina.  We purchased a couple of wallets and handbags at her shop.  She had a good sense of humor and was fun to talk with.  It was pleasant to negotiate with Tina as she joked, smiled and laughed while you negotiated.  She was happy to allow me to take her picture.

Friendships on the Journey

Over the past 10 days I have met many wonderful, patient people; many of whom I’m proud to call new friends.  I say patient because my curiosity drives me to ask hundreds of questions about the places we’re visiting – Tell me about the food?  What’s the population of this city?  What’s he saying?  What does that mean?  How do I eat rice with chopsticks?  What dish do you recommend?  Is that dish too spicy?  My hosts have been wonderful and have patiently answered my many questions as we’ve toured a large part of China.  (Beijing and Hong Kong will have to wait for another trip.)

I have learned much, taken a few photos and picked up a few trinkets along the way as a later reminder of the places I’ve been.  It’s the friendships and the stories shared that have been the best part of this journey.

This is a picture of Nick, Shirley and Leo in Taijuan.  The private dining rooms are a great touch.  Leo was my traveling companion.   He made every stop along the way with me as we toured seven plus cities and regions.   His hometown is in northwest China and he received an engineering degree from a prestigious university in China.  He then pursued his MBA in the US from a Big 10 university.  His knowledge of English and Chinese was an invaluable help in navigating the culture, airports and hotel check-ins.  We learned a great deal together - more on Leo later.

I now have new friends in Taiwan and it is a great place to visit.  Our dinner in Kaoshiung, Taiwan last Thursday is fast becoming legendary through Facebook.  We ate well, drank a few cold ones and laughed heartily – do we need much more than that?  This is Jeff who is a friend of Kimmie.  The folks in Taiwan are big baseball fans and even know the St. Louis Cardinals although most profess to be Yankee fans.  I can forgive them for that.

One of my favorite memories will be a religion discussion I had with Kevin Lin as we spent 5+ hours in the car together.  Like most of my stories, this one began with a simple question, “What do the characters on that red and yellow ribbon mean?”  He explained that it was a symbol of his Tao religion (similar to Buddhism) and was a story of a goddess who guided ships in a storm safely to a harbor.  This led to me show him my Miraculous Medal and explain about Our Lady – Mary the Mother of Jesus.  Yes, we have religious differences, but we’re both spiritual by nature.  We both believe in the value of love, self-sacrifice in service to our families and communities as well as traditional family values as the building blocks for a healthy society.  I’ll remember this conversation for many years.

Kevin was kind enough to stop and guide me through the Tao temple pictured below.  You can’t help but be moved by the love and patience that went into the beautiful paintings and carvings.  The level of detail is astounding and a testament to the devotion of the Tao believers.  There are still many temples for Tao and Buddhism in Taiwan.  Unfortunately, most of these beautiful buildings were destroyed in mainland China during the Cultural Revolution.  I’m glad that I was able to see them in Taiwan.

To appreciate the final picture, I’ll provide some perspective.  My travel in the past 10 days has been taxing.  During one stretch I was in six different cities and six different hotels in six days.  Tuesday of this past week was a particular challenge.  I’m not complaining, far from it; just working to add perspective to the story.  We were up early and out the door of the hotel in Huizhou in Guandong province to visit our customer.  (The hotel would not accept American Express – worst hotel of the week by far.)  After our initial meeting we wanted a plant tour which meant we had to don Nomex coveralls, steel toed boots and hard hats.  Ok, done this many times before and no big deal.  The surprise was then riding bicycles through the plant to reach our destination in ~80F heat.  We pedaled a couple of miles in full safety attire.  A photo would have been great but cameras were not allowed in the plant. 

After too many questions to the plant operations staff we left for the airport.  Too many questions put us about 30 minutes later than we wanted.  Our driver made a dash for the airport.  Leo and I rushed through check-in, security and raced to our gate to find that our flight was delayed.  Two and a half hours later we were on our way to Wuhan.  Arrive in Wuhan, raining, wait 20 minutes for taxi and then 40 minute cab ride to hotel.  Finally sit down for dinner at 9:30 – very thankful at this point.  The hotel had a nice buffet but it closed at 10; we had time but it would not be leisurely dining. 

Leo and I headed to the hotel lounge for one more drink before calling it a day.  A band was beginning their final set of the evening as we settled in and placed our order.  The singers were performing in English and were covering songs from Abba and Adele.   I’m not an Abba fan but the ladies did a very nice job with Adele.  It was a slow Tuesday in Wuhan so they asked if there were any requests.  Leo asked about U2 songs and they said they didn’t know them.  So I gave them my standard, American answer, “How about some songs from Elvis?”  They quickly launched into Blue Suede Shoes and then Suspicious Minds.

So yes, we were in Wuhan, China drinking Jim Beam bourbon and being serenaded by a band from the Philippines to Elvis Presley.  The world is growing smaller each day.

After the set we introduced ourselves and requested a photo.  Meet Meidel, Joel and Cherrie of the Purple  Shadow's Band. 

Stay curious my friends.  Stay curious.

 

Kaohsiung, Taiwan - An Unexpected Pleasure

Simply put, this is why I like to travel - unexpected pleasures.  I had not heard of Kaohsiung, Taiwan before last week and now I'm sitting on the 66th floor of the The Splendor Kaohsiung Hotel sipping a cold beer, listening to the tug boats and watching the sun set over the harbor - wow.  Too many times I find myself racing from one task to the next and forget to take in and revel in God's marvelous Creation - but not right now.

It's by no means perfect, but awfully close.  The only things keeping this moment from perfection are some Maker's Mark instead of Kirin and having Tracy Lynn to share this moment in time.

I'm going to stop writing now because I can only muck up this moment from here.

Cheers!!

Photo of The Splendor Kaohsiung

China Travel Updates

Plan to post some photos over the next few days. Flight to Taiwan this afternoon. Be good.


Getting to China

My flight Sunday was uneventful - very long but uneventful.  It takes time to fly 7100 miles even at 540 mph.  Yes, for those who can multiply it was a 14 hour flight.  The Delta staff was professional and courteous while doing their best to make everyone comfortable on such a long journey.  The Delta on-demand movie service helped considerably.  All in all I think I watched five movies..

• Ted - parts were hilarious but can’t recommend
• Pitch Perfect - better than expected
• The Diirty Dozen - a go-to classic
• Gone in 60 Seconds - a tribute to American muscle cars.  You have to love Eleanor
• And finally, Knuckleball - a baseball documentary on Tim Wakefield and R.A. Dickey of the Mets and the fraternity of knuckleball pitchers

The biggest surprise on the flight was seeing a colleague that I had not seen in almost 8 years.  During one of my stretch breaks I was looking through the cabin and recognized a familiar face but of course i doubted myself because what are the chances that you’ll know someone on a flight to China.  Turns out I was right and I was able to reconnect with Jerry Powaser on the way to Shanghai.  Jerry and I started our careers together in the Indianapolis District of Betz Industrial working for John Tedesco.  We had a great time then and have always enjoyed each other’s company.  It was an unexpected pleasure.

I only slept for about an hour which ended up being positive.  When I finally did go to sleep around 8:30 I had been awake for almost 26 hours.  So I had no issue falling asleep.  Jet lag has not been too bad in spite of the 14 hour time change.  A late afternoon Starbuck’s latte - double shot of espresso - has helped me over the hump.  I should be good to go tonight.

One trivia note, China is roughly the size of the continental US and has a single time zone.   

Day #2

First, if you have business on the east side of Shanghai then I highly recommend the Parkyard Hotel.  It’s nice, quiet, furnished in a modern style and the staff is accustomed to westerners.  The breakfast buffet is top notch with breakfast favorites from Asia, Europe and North America.  I put the latte machine to good use this morning.  By US standards it’s also a good value.  For a comparable hotel in the US I would expect to pay 2 to 3X the rate.

After a meeting with the region executive team this morning we traveled about 1 hour south of Shanghai to Xiajing.  The local team met us for lunch in a private dining room in a well-known restaurant.  The conversation was lively as the local account management team patiently detailed their customers expectations and the processes they follow.  We have work to do to simplify and shorten processes for our products.  The team is knowledgelable, professional and courteous.  It’s easy to see why this customer respects our team and their performance.  

After our customer meeting we drove to the Hongqiang airport on the west side of Shanghai for a 5 pm flight to Taijuan.  We’ll meet a steel customer tomorrow before returning to Shanghai in the evening.

The Food and Dining

A few notes on dining in China...  (like to hear other comments from other westerners)

• Family style dining is the norm with a lazy susan in the middle of the round table and the dishes are shared communally
• I do ok with chopsticks; at least well enough not to go hungry.  Most restaurants will provide knife and fork, if requested.
• The fruits and vegetables are generally fresh and tasty
• The hosts will always order more food than can possibly be eaten in one setting.  
• There are a couple of practices that I struggle with
• It’s a common practice to put food in your mouth, bones/shells and all, and then remove the inedible parts after chewing
• They serve shrimp with heads and shells.  It’s awkward for me so I avoid them.
• Of the dishes so far I actually found the bamboo shoots cooked in a brown sauce to be the tastiest.
• I generally eat big breakfasts and less at lunch and dinner while in China

Much more to follow from this trip as I will visit Taijuan, Taiwan, Chongching, ShenZhen and Wuhan with stops in Shanghai between flights.  I’m expecting an interesting journey.