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.