Germany

I'm back in Germany. This time I brought company.

We've come for a week of work (for me) and enjoyment (for us), visiting Christmas Markets in as many towns as we can fit in, drinking Gluhwein (not really!) and sampling some authentic German meals (well, more than just sampling) typically served this time of year in this region near Hamburg. Last evening we visited Lubeck, a facinating place of historic significance during the trading days of the Hanseatic League, walked the Zentrum, visited the Weihnachtsmarkt, stepped into a small brewery for a bier, and had a fine dinner at a very old place decorated with model ships. We had a great time and considered what kind of job I could get here.

Latest Japan Trip

I had a quick trip to Japan just before Thanksgiving, arriving in Nagoya on a Saturday night, and then continuing on to Kakegawa for a couple of days, returning home the day before Thanksgiving. It was a busy time, but here are a few pictures I managed to get.

Nagoya at the Marriott Hotel, on top of the train station. They had a nice display of Christmas lights in the area and many people were taking it in.

A new building under construction near the Marriott.

Nagoya Station.

Mt. Fuji.

Tokyo.

Flying into a new day.

Off to Japan and Taiwan

I left Sept. 10th for Japan and later, Taiwan, flying to Nagoya direct from Detroit and then to Kakegawa by train. So far, everything in Japan went smoothly, and I'm already in Taiwan. I haven't had the time or the internet access to update before this. After three nights in Kakegawa, I traveled back to Nagoya for an afternoon flight to Taipei, then a car ride to Taichung in time for the weekend. After another week of meetings here and in Tainan, I plan to spend a couple of nights in Taipei before heading home.

Kakegawa is a small city.

Hotel rooms are often small in Japan.

A speeding Shinkansen

Catching Up

I never had the time to finish finish the last trip, but wanted to catch up and post a few more pictures from it. I did end up spending yet another night without luggage in a hotel in Amsterdam before reaching Germany. Needless to say, I was the most tired that I could remember being when I finally reached the Alte Schule Hotel. I spent a day and a half in Germany before leaving the next morning for home. While there, I went with Erik on an unexpected fishing trip that was a delightful escape from what I had been through. We went out in a rowboat on a lake near his home for a couple of hours one evening. It was pouring when we arrived at the shore, but soon let up and cleared off to let the sun through. I captained the rowboat while Erik tried some new lures. Unfortunately, I didn't bring the camera.

A rare stairway boarding of a 747

Flying over Afghanistan

I love clouds

So Much for Smooth Connections

I traveled to Taipei Airport yesterday as planned, again in torrential rain. The flight also began as planned at 7:30pm. Between Taipei and Bangkok, we had to fly close to another typhoon, but otherwise it was okay. When we were about to depart again from Bangkok for Amsterdam at around midnight, already on the plane, they said the plane's weather radar was not working. They tried to get spare parts from six different companies that service planes at the airport, but nobody had the parts. Meanwhile, we sat on the plane and watched movies on the video system. About two or more hours later, they canceled the flight and took us all off to a hotel without our checked luggage. They also took our passports from us at immigration, probably because they kept the luggage. At about 3am we got to our rooms. Somehow I managed to be on the first shuttle bus to the hotel, and first in line for a room. You can imagine the line - a 747 holds 400 people. The very last time I came through Bangkok, I also had to spend the night. That time it was due to the weather in Taipei. I was coming from Germany, and after stopping over in Bangkok, we flew half way to Taipei before turning back to Bangkok to spend the night. At least that time we were allowed to take our luggage with us. This time I was at least partly lucky, partly smart. I happened to stuff a t-shirt, underwear, and socks into my backpack at the last minute before leaving Taiwan. So far, my polo shirt is hanging in there pretty well too.



I got a few hours sleep, some free breakfast, and now I am about to check out of the hotel. The flight is supposed to be leaving at 3pm today, but the adventure is not over, because that puts us into Amsterdam late in the evening, and I'm not sure I can get to Hamburg, Germay that late without spending the night in Amsterdam. Maybe I should have just turned this trip into a vacation, stopping in all of these exotic cities. It could have been a pretty good one, except for a missing person.

The friendly staff at China Airlines Lounge

The lobby at Novotel in Bangkok

Probably some sort of shrine thing

Train Ride

Yesterday, the weather was like a monsoon all day. Very dark, with continuous thunder and lightening, and never-ending torrential rain. I bet we got at least 10 inches of rain. No kidding.

I ventured out anyway, and took the high speed train at 9:06 to Tainan. Very smooth ride, but they did not display the speed like it is done in Germany and Japan. However, it felt as fast or faster than any of the others, which get up to 300km/h. The seats were very comfortable, and the windows very large for great viewing of the rice fields you see along the way, which of course were extra full with water. After spending the day working in Tainan plant, I again took the high speed train back to Taichung at around 7pm, with lightening bolts hitting the ground nearby, and sheets of rain lashing against the window. I also opted for the slightly more expensive business class seat (+12$) just to see what it was like. Well, besides a larger seat with a footrest, I got to sit in an otherwise completely empty car, and received free crackers and a pretty good cup of tea. That tea alone was worth the extra 12$.

Today is the day I go to work, then get a ride to Taipei airport (2 hrs), then fly to Germany, hopefully with smooth connections. Sorry for the lack of pictures, but I can't take my camera into the plants, so I couldn't carry it with me.

Rained In

Well, I didn't venture as far yesterday as I thought I would. Rain began mid-day with thunder showers and hasn't let up in almost 24 hours. I manged to walk up to the Jade Market a few blocks up the street to see what that was all about - rows and rows of jewelry and other decorative things made of jade and other stones, as well as tea pots.



Today will be a slow and relaxing day before the pace picks up again. I will try again to go to Nova electronics store to get the plugs for Germany. Tomorrow morning I'll take the new high speed train to Tainan for a meeting at the plant there. After the meeting I'll probably stay the afternoon, have dinner with Albert after work, and then head back to Taichung, maybe by bus. Then on Tuesday, I'll check out of the hotel in the morning, work part of the day here at the plant in Taichung, then depart for Taipei to catch a 7:30 pm flight to Amsterdam.

Rough Week

I made it through the week to another Saturday. After running on pure adrenaline for so long, my body finally broke it's addiction and did some repair work during last night's deep sleep. Today I feel stiff and sluggish like I've grown new cells that don't know what to do yet, but otherwise more relaxed and rested. Lisa and I refer to this feeling as "that Saturday feeling". Tea helps, and I remembered to bring some good stuff with me this time.

This week was marked by a direct challenge to my intestinal fortitude, if you know what I mean. Tuesday night the challenge came, as it usually does after being here about a week. This time was worse, but everything returns to normal after a day or so.

We had a small earthquake here Thursday morning. It shook the building at work slightly. Taiwan is a real earthquake hotspot, but they are usually small magnitude. As long as they keep occuring, that's good, because it relieves the pressure. The picture from Taiwan Central Weather Bureau shows the seismic activity for July. Most occur on the eastern side of the island where the plates grind, while the cities are mostly on the left coast. Most of these are really low, maybe Magnitude 1, but the one that I felt Thursday was 5.8.

I'm now heading for the electronics store, called Nova, to get an outlet adapter for Germany, where I go on Tuesday night. Making a last minute change of backpacks before leaving home, I forgot the one I had been carrying.

Happy Anniversary, Baby

20 years today - that's how long I've worn this ring. I felt absolutely no weight from this ring from the moment I first put it on. It's been the best 20 years, and I'm looking forward to many more.

Work should never be the biggest priority, and I would not normally agree to travel during such a time, but under present circumstances, we agreed together that we could make this sacrifice right now. It will probably be a little tough to get through the day, but can still be a time to reflect. With the time difference, we actually have a day and a half!

Happy Anniversay, Sweetheart. I'm sorry that we can't be together today. Make sure to answer if you hear the doorbell!

P.S. Ok, I already put the ring back on. The picture just looked much better with the ring on the window sill than it did on my hairy finger!

Going Around in Circles

Well, looky there! Look who's coming for dinner! I just can't seem to stay away from the darned things this year. While the Atlantic hurricane season has been non-existant, things have been quite active over here, and I don't think I've missed any yet. I'm definitely getting in on my share of the cyclonic action. Excuse me, I'm going to go in to use the bathroom mirror now and look for a bullseye on my back.

So far this one is relatively weak compared to the other two that involved me in their lives. We'll have to watch closely to see if this little fella grows as predicted, because he's pretty much going to pass right over Taichung, according to this forecast map. Of course, I really don't worry about these too much, being in a big hotel. It's that after effect - those vacuum-induced earthquakes occuring afterwards that rattle me :)

You can stay tuned here...

Panning for Golden Shots

One of the most noticable aspects of Taiwan life is the scooter. Most people have one, and it shows. They are everywhere, like blackflies around your head. Young and old, jeans and dresses, sneakers and high heals, kids and dogs, even stacks of propane tanks. Anything and everything. Traffic rules are not strictly followed, but the scooters, usually sharing a lane with cars, have to yield by default. Everything keeps moving forward and it somehow works...most of the time. I have seen several accidents in Tainan involving scooters. Fortunately none were very serious, but the scars I've seen on young people's legs prove otherwise. The shocking truth is that the parents usually wear helmets, but young children rarely have them on. Even before coming here, I had heard that five people riding on one scooter was not unheard of, and sure enough, we eventually saw it for ourselves. In fact, four is very common, and I have several pictures, including one today.


Panning shots of moving scooters has been my favorite pasttime.

Peace!

I've been had!

Whoops! how did that get in here!

Scenes from the Street

I'm posting a few street scenes that I took yesterday near the hotel, and again today while walking to a department store, called Sogo. (So'-jo)

Sogo Department Store: 19 floors including clothing, cosmetics, jewelry, shoes, housewares, grocery store, 2 floors of restaurants, and an arcade. Very similar to Mitsukoshi.

Chinese graffiti. What does it say?

Taiwan's recycling program.

An afternoon shower brings out the ponchos.

Finding Comfort

I just can't begin to tell you how tough it is on the road. Hopefully you can sympathize with me, at least a little bit. Sometimes a little taste of home helps, so I will go ahead a visit an establishment that I would never ordinarily visit back in the US. I do it solely for the comfort it brings:)

The weekend is already winding down here. Some work was completed, a few walks were taken, a few meals and other items of sustenance consumed. The Haagen-Dazs shoppe is a great hangout for getting out of the hotel room for a few minutes without being in the heat or the crowds. The trouble, so far, is that I haven't been able to limit myself to just coffee or tea. Two visits and counting...

I've included a few shots of my home away from home - the Evergreen Hotel here in Taichung.

Saturday

It's Saturday morning! That means I get to take my time at breakfast, enjoying the tea and large buffet a little more. There's nothing like a nice plate of fresh fruit. Taiwan has a great selection of fruit year round that is always delicious. See if you can identify what these are and drop me a note in the comments. Yes, you get one easy point for the kiwi. No helping, Lisa! The round fruit on the left is quite interesting. You only eat the seeds and juice sacs in the center with a spoon, and the juice really makes you pucker. The closest experience I could think of would be to eat a spoonful of Tang right from the jar. The other "unknown" fruit is very refreshing and without a strong or overly sweet flavor. The slightly crunchy seeds make for a great texture.

Today I'll be doing some work, some reading, and maybe checking out a shopping area or two, depending on how much heat I can take. The weather every day is 95 degrees and high humidity. I have not caught up on my sleep yet, so a nap may also be in my future.

Around the World

My latest trip is underway. I am due to stay in Taichung, Taiwan for two weeks, then make a quick stop in Germany for a couple of days on the way back home. That means I'll be circling the globe during this trip, the third time I've done so, going around either one way or the other. It takes me through Bangkok and across the northern border of India, Pakistan, and across Afghanistan. Maybe this time I will catch a glimpse of Mt. Everest, despite those flight attendants who make you keep your window shades down during the middle of the trip.

When Shawn and I were in Japan just a few weeks ago, we had a typhoon and an earthquake. Even though the typhoon was weak in Tokyo, the earthquake made up for it. So far this trip has picked up right where the last one left off - with plenty of excitement. I got a great seat on the flight to Osaka, Japan (If you need help selecting good seats on a flight, go to SeatGuru) and had a pleasant start from Detroit after an hour delay. After arriving in Osaka, the announcement was made that a hydraulic leak on Engine 2 had to be repaired. During the additional four hour delay, I decided to check the weather on the internet. That's when saw that another typhoon was bearing down on southern Japan, and was almost blocking the route to Taiwan. Despite possibly sealing my fate of having to take vacations by land for the rest of my life, I called Lisa to let her know how I was doing. My thoughts at the time: "Let me see, I'm about to board a flight on a plane where an engine repair was just made, over water, at night, with a category 4 typhoon approaching."

We finally left Osaka around midnight, I think. Needless to say nothing went wrong, aside from some turbulence. We arrived in Taipei around 2am, and I managed to get a 90 minute taxi ride straight to Taichung that Northwest paid for ($110). I got into my hotel room at 4am, 28 hours after leaving home.

Engine 2 of the 747 under repair in Osaka

My hotel room in Taichung is comfortable.

Through the hotel window, morning light came in early at 5am.