Not bad, huh?? Today is a relax day. Reading, blogging, walking on the beach, maybe some kayaking, and definitely some cocktails!!
- Posted on the go...
Location:Koh Phi Phi
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
Life is a beach!
This is what my day looks like!
Not bad, huh?? Today is a relax day. Reading, blogging, walking on the beach, maybe some kayaking, and definitely some cocktails!!
- Posted on the go...
Not bad, huh?? Today is a relax day. Reading, blogging, walking on the beach, maybe some kayaking, and definitely some cocktails!!
- Posted on the go...
Bangkok, Bangkok, and paradise at last
Ok ok. I know I've been slacking on the blog. But let me tell you - our days in Bangkok were crazy busy. Plus, I was sick yesterday.
Anyway, get ready for a long one - here is an update of the last two days or so...
So Monday afternoon we walked over to the frozen foods giant CP Foods. This meeting was the highlight of the business meetings for me. They talked to us about what they do and how their extreme vertical integration allows them to do it, and they had asked our group to investigate how they could sell more shrimp in the US. After the group gave their presentation we all were able to engage in a lively discussion and brainstorming session where I was able to shine - my professor has repeatedly told me since that I "hit a home run"with my idea for them to partner with a non-profit on a childhood obesity campaign to establish themselves as a company with heathy food that kids like. :) so it was a great meeting!
After that we had a brief moment to regroup before we left for the alumni dinner. The place was a lovely spot on the river overlooking the royal palace. Great ambiance, only so-so food. The alums were all thai nationals and from two "eras" - a group from the 90s and some from the mid-00s. They were all very welcoming and excited to share with us the work that they do. One of the young alums, Nat, gave us some good insight into the Stock Exchange of Thailand so that we could show off the next day. Apparently with the downturn in the US economy, alot of American money has flowed into the SET in the last couple years leading to historic high numbers. Nat predicts that growth will level out since the US is recovering and investors will most likely return to the States.
Anyway, we didn't get back to the hotel from dinner until 11:30pm and we had one more long day in front of us - including our presentation. Plus, I was starting to feel sick to my stomach, so I went to bed. Unfortunately it was a long night of feeling rather awful.
But I still had to be up in the morning for our last day in Bangkok - another non-stop whirlwind! Up early and off to visit the Siam Cement Group.
((For those of you who don't know, Thailand used to be called Siam and the movie The King and I was based on a true story of King Rama the 5th (I think) and an English teacher named Anna.))
Anyway, we had that meeting, which was fairly uneventful and then a short break for us to eat quickly (Pad Thai) and do final prep for our preso.
The Stock Exchange of Thailand was very cool - we had a tour of the building and they had a live quarterly statement meeting being broadcast that we visited. We met with the head of issuing from the Exchange and delivered our presentation to him without a hitch. With that, our official trip events were complete!!
We all went out to happy hour - where I decided that I would not feel sick anymore, and some how, miraculously, that worked!!
Then, out of nowhere, a HUGE rainstorm hit Bangkok. Thunder, lightning, flash flooding - the works. We waited out the storm for awhile and then Kelly, Vanessa and I headed out into the night!
We sort of floated down the street in a taxi to a restaurant that came recommended by classmates. The food was decent (Phad Sew Yew), but the outside seating was closed due to weather and the inside ambiance left much to be desired. We were sated though, and the rain had stopped so we wanted to go check out the famous Patong night market - something we had yet to have time to do! But of course, even though the rain had stopped the market had been cancelled. :( we were bummed. (and all of you expecting Asian presents - you're out of luck! That was my chance for souvenir shoapping!) but the night wasn't ruined - we headed off to a rooftop bar at the Banyan Tree Hotel called Moon Bar. WOW! The views of the city were spectacular and the gin&tonic hit the spot!
Finally it was time to call it a night because we had to be at 5am again for our flight to the BEACH!!! I felt like I didn't get to really explore the city, but time was up - next time I guess!?
So yesterday started early, but ended in paradise. We flew from Bangkok to Phuket and the transferred to the dock where private speedboat delivered us to our hotel in just an hour! It was spectacular! The water is a gorgeous shade of blue, the sand a soft yellow-white. The only thing on the agenda is relaxing - which is quite welcome after the busy couple of weeks we've had. There are rocky islands scattered around and I think tomorrow we will go boating and explore some with snorkels. We also want to go see the bay where the movie The Beach was filmed.
Last night we dined at the hotel and saw a traditional Thai dance performance, which was somewhere between a hula and an Indian dance. Then it was off to bed after a long day. We were finally in paradise!
- Posted on the go...
Anyway, get ready for a long one - here is an update of the last two days or so...
So Monday afternoon we walked over to the frozen foods giant CP Foods. This meeting was the highlight of the business meetings for me. They talked to us about what they do and how their extreme vertical integration allows them to do it, and they had asked our group to investigate how they could sell more shrimp in the US. After the group gave their presentation we all were able to engage in a lively discussion and brainstorming session where I was able to shine - my professor has repeatedly told me since that I "hit a home run"with my idea for them to partner with a non-profit on a childhood obesity campaign to establish themselves as a company with heathy food that kids like. :) so it was a great meeting!
After that we had a brief moment to regroup before we left for the alumni dinner. The place was a lovely spot on the river overlooking the royal palace. Great ambiance, only so-so food. The alums were all thai nationals and from two "eras" - a group from the 90s and some from the mid-00s. They were all very welcoming and excited to share with us the work that they do. One of the young alums, Nat, gave us some good insight into the Stock Exchange of Thailand so that we could show off the next day. Apparently with the downturn in the US economy, alot of American money has flowed into the SET in the last couple years leading to historic high numbers. Nat predicts that growth will level out since the US is recovering and investors will most likely return to the States.
Anyway, we didn't get back to the hotel from dinner until 11:30pm and we had one more long day in front of us - including our presentation. Plus, I was starting to feel sick to my stomach, so I went to bed. Unfortunately it was a long night of feeling rather awful.
But I still had to be up in the morning for our last day in Bangkok - another non-stop whirlwind! Up early and off to visit the Siam Cement Group.
((For those of you who don't know, Thailand used to be called Siam and the movie The King and I was based on a true story of King Rama the 5th (I think) and an English teacher named Anna.))
Anyway, we had that meeting, which was fairly uneventful and then a short break for us to eat quickly (Pad Thai) and do final prep for our preso.
The Stock Exchange of Thailand was very cool - we had a tour of the building and they had a live quarterly statement meeting being broadcast that we visited. We met with the head of issuing from the Exchange and delivered our presentation to him without a hitch. With that, our official trip events were complete!!
We all went out to happy hour - where I decided that I would not feel sick anymore, and some how, miraculously, that worked!!
Then, out of nowhere, a HUGE rainstorm hit Bangkok. Thunder, lightning, flash flooding - the works. We waited out the storm for awhile and then Kelly, Vanessa and I headed out into the night!
We sort of floated down the street in a taxi to a restaurant that came recommended by classmates. The food was decent (Phad Sew Yew), but the outside seating was closed due to weather and the inside ambiance left much to be desired. We were sated though, and the rain had stopped so we wanted to go check out the famous Patong night market - something we had yet to have time to do! But of course, even though the rain had stopped the market had been cancelled. :( we were bummed. (and all of you expecting Asian presents - you're out of luck! That was my chance for souvenir shoapping!) but the night wasn't ruined - we headed off to a rooftop bar at the Banyan Tree Hotel called Moon Bar. WOW! The views of the city were spectacular and the gin&tonic hit the spot!
Finally it was time to call it a night because we had to be at 5am again for our flight to the BEACH!!! I felt like I didn't get to really explore the city, but time was up - next time I guess!?
So yesterday started early, but ended in paradise. We flew from Bangkok to Phuket and the transferred to the dock where private speedboat delivered us to our hotel in just an hour! It was spectacular! The water is a gorgeous shade of blue, the sand a soft yellow-white. The only thing on the agenda is relaxing - which is quite welcome after the busy couple of weeks we've had. There are rocky islands scattered around and I think tomorrow we will go boating and explore some with snorkels. We also want to go see the bay where the movie The Beach was filmed.
Last night we dined at the hotel and saw a traditional Thai dance performance, which was somewhere between a hula and an Indian dance. Then it was off to bed after a long day. We were finally in paradise!
- Posted on the go...
Location:Koh Phi Phi
Sunday, March 13, 2011
Welcome to the Big City!
Yesterday was a loooong day. We got up at 5am to check out of the hotel and head to the Hanoi airport. We finally arrived in Bangkok at about 11:30am. We met our new tour guide - Sara* (not her real name).
Thoughts from the ride to the hotel:
- Bangkok is HUGE!
- Bangkok is VERY modern.
- the city is greener than I would have expected
- there is quite a bit of Western infiltration here - starbucks, 7-11, au Bon pain, subway, ect.
- upon a glance, bangkok doesnt feel all that foreign
So turns out Bangkok IS huge. There are 65M people in Thailand. 15M of those are in Bangkok! There are many more cars and much fewer motorbikes here.
So after a quick checkin - we are staying at the Sofitel. It is gorgeous! Very nice, however annoying with the Internet. Anyway, we grabbed a great lunch at the hotel buffet - finally, sushi!! - and headed out for a tour of the Grand Palace and of Wat Po.
The palace was a photographer's dream, but also FULL of tourists. We explored the grounds and saw the famous Emerald Buddha.
By the time we left there we were drenched I'm sweat and dying of thirst. Oh, did I mention that it is HOT here! Its in the 90s here and very humid.
We powered on though and went to check out Wat Po, which was the first university in Thailand - a school for massage. There are three main things people come to see there - the GIANT Reclining Buddha, the Golden Buddha, and the Gallery which is full of replicas of the Golden Buddha.
I liked this place much more!! It was quieter and way fewer tourists. I enjoyed wandering around and taking pictures, and loved spending time I'm the temple praying to Buddha for luck for me and my family.
Back at the hotel I fit in a quick workout (I've managed about three so far, but I feel FAT! we are eating so much good food all the time!
Speaking of food. After a quick cleanup, Kelly, Vanessa and I headed out on a hunt for our first Thai meal. As soon as we stepped onto the street we were stunned by the transformation!
As soon as the sun goes down in Bangkok, the streets and sidewalks come alive with vendors selling everything imaginable! From knock-off goods to handicrafts to electronics to handcarved soaps. Watching the man carve the soaps reminded me of watching my grandmother craft her famous wedding cake flowers!
Anyway, we made our way down the street and finally found the place we were looking for down a little side street. It was called Mango Tree and even though it is now sort of a chain, this was the original - tucked in an 80yo traditional Thai house. The food was fantastic - we had satay and noodles and left feeling great about Thailand!
Unfortunately, we then had to head back to the hotel to work on our Thai Stock Exchange project.
Our days in Bangkok are a whirlwind with 2 meetings a day and evening events as well. This morning was with the American Chamber of Commerce. It was interesting to learn that due to a treaty from the late 1800s, unlike other foreigners Americans are not restricted from owning a majority of businesses in Thailand. It is quite easy for an American to do business here and as such, there are very many doing it!
This afternoon we are visiting CP Foods - they are one of the biggest frozen foods companies in the world! They apparently are trying to grow their business of frozen shrimp in the US. A group from my class will be presenting on this topic - should be interesting!
Later is the alumni dinner with 10 Texas MBA alums. I'm looking forward to seeing how many are expats and how many are Thai nationals.
If it sounds like we are busy, that is because we are. I was just remarking to Alex that as great as these trips are - and they are amazing. The business opportunities are incredibly unique. But as great as they are, it's really difficult to really experience the cities. Between all the events that we are attending it can be hard to find the energy to go out and explore. I feel like I need to come back and spend a bit more time really absorbing. One day! In any case I am spectacularly lucky to be here. This kind of trip can never be replicated! I'm just trying to experience as much as I can while still taking care of myself so that I don't get sick (like half of my class!!) One other reason I'm lucky? I'm not the girl on the India Global Trip that is had to have an appendectomy in Mumbai. Wow.
On that note, one week from today I will be back in Austin and back in class. Amazing! Happy Monday y'all!
- Posted on the go...
Thoughts from the ride to the hotel:
- Bangkok is HUGE!
- Bangkok is VERY modern.
- the city is greener than I would have expected
- there is quite a bit of Western infiltration here - starbucks, 7-11, au Bon pain, subway, ect.
- upon a glance, bangkok doesnt feel all that foreign
So turns out Bangkok IS huge. There are 65M people in Thailand. 15M of those are in Bangkok! There are many more cars and much fewer motorbikes here.
So after a quick checkin - we are staying at the Sofitel. It is gorgeous! Very nice, however annoying with the Internet. Anyway, we grabbed a great lunch at the hotel buffet - finally, sushi!! - and headed out for a tour of the Grand Palace and of Wat Po.
The palace was a photographer's dream, but also FULL of tourists. We explored the grounds and saw the famous Emerald Buddha.
By the time we left there we were drenched I'm sweat and dying of thirst. Oh, did I mention that it is HOT here! Its in the 90s here and very humid.
We powered on though and went to check out Wat Po, which was the first university in Thailand - a school for massage. There are three main things people come to see there - the GIANT Reclining Buddha, the Golden Buddha, and the Gallery which is full of replicas of the Golden Buddha.
I liked this place much more!! It was quieter and way fewer tourists. I enjoyed wandering around and taking pictures, and loved spending time I'm the temple praying to Buddha for luck for me and my family.
Back at the hotel I fit in a quick workout (I've managed about three so far, but I feel FAT! we are eating so much good food all the time!
Speaking of food. After a quick cleanup, Kelly, Vanessa and I headed out on a hunt for our first Thai meal. As soon as we stepped onto the street we were stunned by the transformation!
As soon as the sun goes down in Bangkok, the streets and sidewalks come alive with vendors selling everything imaginable! From knock-off goods to handicrafts to electronics to handcarved soaps. Watching the man carve the soaps reminded me of watching my grandmother craft her famous wedding cake flowers!
Anyway, we made our way down the street and finally found the place we were looking for down a little side street. It was called Mango Tree and even though it is now sort of a chain, this was the original - tucked in an 80yo traditional Thai house. The food was fantastic - we had satay and noodles and left feeling great about Thailand!
Unfortunately, we then had to head back to the hotel to work on our Thai Stock Exchange project.
Our days in Bangkok are a whirlwind with 2 meetings a day and evening events as well. This morning was with the American Chamber of Commerce. It was interesting to learn that due to a treaty from the late 1800s, unlike other foreigners Americans are not restricted from owning a majority of businesses in Thailand. It is quite easy for an American to do business here and as such, there are very many doing it!
This afternoon we are visiting CP Foods - they are one of the biggest frozen foods companies in the world! They apparently are trying to grow their business of frozen shrimp in the US. A group from my class will be presenting on this topic - should be interesting!
Later is the alumni dinner with 10 Texas MBA alums. I'm looking forward to seeing how many are expats and how many are Thai nationals.
If it sounds like we are busy, that is because we are. I was just remarking to Alex that as great as these trips are - and they are amazing. The business opportunities are incredibly unique. But as great as they are, it's really difficult to really experience the cities. Between all the events that we are attending it can be hard to find the energy to go out and explore. I feel like I need to come back and spend a bit more time really absorbing. One day! In any case I am spectacularly lucky to be here. This kind of trip can never be replicated! I'm just trying to experience as much as I can while still taking care of myself so that I don't get sick (like half of my class!!) One other reason I'm lucky? I'm not the girl on the India Global Trip that is had to have an appendectomy in Mumbai. Wow.
On that note, one week from today I will be back in Austin and back in class. Amazing! Happy Monday y'all!
- Posted on the go...
Location:Bangkok
Saturday, March 12, 2011
BTW - Earthquake
I am fine. No tremors here. No waves in the bay, nothing. I'm praying for the folks in Japan - including Sam Ceppos! But I am just fine. And I fly home via Hong Kong (unlike some of my classmates), so I should be fine.
- Posted on the go...
- Posted on the go...
Couples Massages and Private Junk
Yesterday, Vanessa and I went to a spa for the afternoon. The tour company had suggested super expensive spas in five-star hotels, but we were looking for a bit more authentic (cheaper) experience. We spent some time trolling the Internet and found a place called SF Spa.
When we got there we opted for the 3 hour "Relax Package," which included massages, facials, sauna and jacuzzi time for $30. :) They gave us sandals and robes and led us up to the treatment rooms. We followed them through the doorway and into a room with two beds!! We were, of course, NOT expecting that. But when I'm Rome I guess! So that was the time Vanessa and I got a couples massage. :-p
The treatments were spectacular though and by the time we left there we were so relaxed that we could barely walk!
Back at the hotel we parted ways to regroup - originally we all had big plans for a girls' dinner and a visit to the traditional Water Puppet Theater. However, once I sat down i was done for. Room service and an HBO movie were the perfect evening after going non-stop for a week+.
Today was a looooong daytrip to Halong Bay. The bay is 4 hours from Hanoi, so we spent 8 hours+ on the bus today. Halong Bay was worth it though. Our group had a private junk (boat) and sailed all around the bay. In some ways it reminded me of St Lucia because of the sheer peaks jutting out of the water. There are almost 2000 limestone islands in the Halong. The weather was just so-so - fairly cool and foggy - but it added a mystic quality to the seascape. I took lots of pictures but forgot to take one on my phone so I could share.
I did, however, take a picture I'm the cave that we toured. It was being on the set of Goonies, seriously. Apparently this cave was discovered by a sailor looking for shelter during a monsoon. Wow - what a discovery! It is HUGE and full of spectacular stalactites and stalagmites. It is definitely a tourist attraction now. They have it all lit up inside with different colors like a disco!
Pretty cool, huh?
The drive back was very long. We all drank wine and beer on the boat, but the usual suspects didn't stop and proceeded to get drunk and loud and blast rap music. The tunes were fun for awhile, but after a couple hours I was READY to get off the bus.
We have a really early flight I'm the morning to Bangkok, so unfortunately it looks like this will be another night of a quick dinner in the hotel and early to bed before our 5am wakeup call.
Next time you hear from me I'll be in Thailand!!!
- Posted on the go...
When we got there we opted for the 3 hour "Relax Package," which included massages, facials, sauna and jacuzzi time for $30. :) They gave us sandals and robes and led us up to the treatment rooms. We followed them through the doorway and into a room with two beds!! We were, of course, NOT expecting that. But when I'm Rome I guess! So that was the time Vanessa and I got a couples massage. :-p
The treatments were spectacular though and by the time we left there we were so relaxed that we could barely walk!
Back at the hotel we parted ways to regroup - originally we all had big plans for a girls' dinner and a visit to the traditional Water Puppet Theater. However, once I sat down i was done for. Room service and an HBO movie were the perfect evening after going non-stop for a week+.
Today was a looooong daytrip to Halong Bay. The bay is 4 hours from Hanoi, so we spent 8 hours+ on the bus today. Halong Bay was worth it though. Our group had a private junk (boat) and sailed all around the bay. In some ways it reminded me of St Lucia because of the sheer peaks jutting out of the water. There are almost 2000 limestone islands in the Halong. The weather was just so-so - fairly cool and foggy - but it added a mystic quality to the seascape. I took lots of pictures but forgot to take one on my phone so I could share.
I did, however, take a picture I'm the cave that we toured. It was being on the set of Goonies, seriously. Apparently this cave was discovered by a sailor looking for shelter during a monsoon. Wow - what a discovery! It is HUGE and full of spectacular stalactites and stalagmites. It is definitely a tourist attraction now. They have it all lit up inside with different colors like a disco!
Pretty cool, huh?
The drive back was very long. We all drank wine and beer on the boat, but the usual suspects didn't stop and proceeded to get drunk and loud and blast rap music. The tunes were fun for awhile, but after a couple hours I was READY to get off the bus.
We have a really early flight I'm the morning to Bangkok, so unfortunately it looks like this will be another night of a quick dinner in the hotel and early to bed before our 5am wakeup call.
Next time you hear from me I'll be in Thailand!!!
- Posted on the go...
Location:The Bus
Thursday, March 10, 2011
Thoughts for today...
- The one person per bicycle rule gets violated here constantly. On the plus side, alot of the bikes in Hanoi have a complete extra seat on the back over the wheel - clever!!
- I can't get enough pho.
- unlike everything else, wine is expensive here since there are no domestic wines. All the imports drive up the price. That is ok by me, bc I was designated "banker" last night and collected all the money to pay for the booze. I collected nearly 8,000,000 dong and got to keep the extra!
- it is much colder and rainier than I expected in Hanoi. It's like Seattle!
- there is an awesome "world famous" Philipino cover band on tour right now! They played last night I'm Hanoi at a bar called Seventeen Cowboys.
- skype at the hotel here blows. Emails until Bangkok.
- can't wait for my afternoon at the spa today!!!
- Posted on the go...
- I can't get enough pho.
- unlike everything else, wine is expensive here since there are no domestic wines. All the imports drive up the price. That is ok by me, bc I was designated "banker" last night and collected all the money to pay for the booze. I collected nearly 8,000,000 dong and got to keep the extra!
- it is much colder and rainier than I expected in Hanoi. It's like Seattle!
- there is an awesome "world famous" Philipino cover band on tour right now! They played last night I'm Hanoi at a bar called Seventeen Cowboys.
- skype at the hotel here blows. Emails until Bangkok.
- can't wait for my afternoon at the spa today!!!
- Posted on the go...
Hello Hanoi!
I got a scolding email from my mother just now. Apparently both of my last posts showed up as "Tuesday" there. I am, in fact, blogging everyday! Promise! It's just this crazy 13hr time difference. When I am able to Skype with Alex or my mom it is either late night hear and early morning there or vice versa!
In any case, it is Thursday evening here and I'm camped in the lobby of our hotel - the only place with wifi - with a glass of cab and a cheese plate.
We got into Hanoi last night around 8pm. Once we arrived at our hotel (the Hilton Hanoi Opera - not to be confused with the Hanoi Hilton! More on that in a bit), anyway, once we arrived at our hotel Vanessa and Dani and I headed out to grab some dinner. We have food that the danger of staying in these fancy 5-star hotels is that they recommend fancy (expensive) places. So instead of the restaurant that the concierge sent us too that had dishes for 3,000,000dong (approx $150), we went next door and got pho ga for 67,000dong ($3.35). Yum!
Today has been spectacular. First thing we went off on a cyclo tour of the Old Quarter. A cyclo is a bicycle with sort of a carriage seat attached to the front. The passenger sits in the front and a driver peddles you around, like so:
Hanoi is an incredibly beautiful city. The French influence is evident everywhere. It is much older (they celebrated 1000 years last October) and smaller (6m vs 10m) than HCMC. It feels much cleaner and more refined. The weather is also MUCH cooler - 62 vs 90 degrees! While it is a nice break from sweating, I didn't bring many warm clothes!! Oh well. :)
So on the tour we got a great view of daily life in Hanoi as we cruised through the market streets. Each block seemed to have a different specialty - one shoes, the next rugs, then baby supplies, ect. We saw beautiful French buildings and many many motorbikes - like HCMC, Hanoi has a 2:1 people to bike ratio!
Next stop was the "Hanoi Hilton" which is the prison where American pilots, like John McCain were held prisoner during the war. The prison was originally built in the 1890s by the French to hold and torture Vietnamese revolutionaries. Now only 1/5 of the building remains - the rest has been bulldozed and replaced with a huge office tower. Ah, progress. What remains, though is still harrowing - dark narrow cells with leg irons restricting movement even around the cell. The most disturbing part of all though was the propaganda (videos, pamphlets, pictures, ect) about how well the American pilots were treated. Direct quote - "they were grateful to be held in the good standards by the Vietnamese people." It is incredible how different perception can be.
After a quick lunch near the hotel we went off to our day's business meeting at the Vietnamese Ministry of Trade. What an extraordinary experience to be welcomed into a high ranking government official's office in a place like Vietnam. It is clear from talking to them that despite being the "Socialist Republic of Vietnam" they are moving more and more towards capitalist ways. We discussed repercussions of the midterm elections on free trade. Afterward, I put on my McCombs Admissions Committee hat and talked with one of the women there about admission to the MBA program!
Since then I've been camped in the lobby working on the presentation that my group has to give to the Thai Stock Exchange. Our professor just sprung this on us - we will have to present on the Flash Crash of the US Stock Exchange in May 2010. Even though I'd rather be taking in the city, it was great to have a chance to sit back with a couple glasses of wine and relax.
Off tonight for another group dinner. Ford tomorrow then spa afternoon!!
Later kids!
- Posted on the go...
In any case, it is Thursday evening here and I'm camped in the lobby of our hotel - the only place with wifi - with a glass of cab and a cheese plate.
We got into Hanoi last night around 8pm. Once we arrived at our hotel (the Hilton Hanoi Opera - not to be confused with the Hanoi Hilton! More on that in a bit), anyway, once we arrived at our hotel Vanessa and Dani and I headed out to grab some dinner. We have food that the danger of staying in these fancy 5-star hotels is that they recommend fancy (expensive) places. So instead of the restaurant that the concierge sent us too that had dishes for 3,000,000dong (approx $150), we went next door and got pho ga for 67,000dong ($3.35). Yum!
Today has been spectacular. First thing we went off on a cyclo tour of the Old Quarter. A cyclo is a bicycle with sort of a carriage seat attached to the front. The passenger sits in the front and a driver peddles you around, like so:
Hanoi is an incredibly beautiful city. The French influence is evident everywhere. It is much older (they celebrated 1000 years last October) and smaller (6m vs 10m) than HCMC. It feels much cleaner and more refined. The weather is also MUCH cooler - 62 vs 90 degrees! While it is a nice break from sweating, I didn't bring many warm clothes!! Oh well. :)
So on the tour we got a great view of daily life in Hanoi as we cruised through the market streets. Each block seemed to have a different specialty - one shoes, the next rugs, then baby supplies, ect. We saw beautiful French buildings and many many motorbikes - like HCMC, Hanoi has a 2:1 people to bike ratio!
Next stop was the "Hanoi Hilton" which is the prison where American pilots, like John McCain were held prisoner during the war. The prison was originally built in the 1890s by the French to hold and torture Vietnamese revolutionaries. Now only 1/5 of the building remains - the rest has been bulldozed and replaced with a huge office tower. Ah, progress. What remains, though is still harrowing - dark narrow cells with leg irons restricting movement even around the cell. The most disturbing part of all though was the propaganda (videos, pamphlets, pictures, ect) about how well the American pilots were treated. Direct quote - "they were grateful to be held in the good standards by the Vietnamese people." It is incredible how different perception can be.
After a quick lunch near the hotel we went off to our day's business meeting at the Vietnamese Ministry of Trade. What an extraordinary experience to be welcomed into a high ranking government official's office in a place like Vietnam. It is clear from talking to them that despite being the "Socialist Republic of Vietnam" they are moving more and more towards capitalist ways. We discussed repercussions of the midterm elections on free trade. Afterward, I put on my McCombs Admissions Committee hat and talked with one of the women there about admission to the MBA program!
Since then I've been camped in the lobby working on the presentation that my group has to give to the Thai Stock Exchange. Our professor just sprung this on us - we will have to present on the Flash Crash of the US Stock Exchange in May 2010. Even though I'd rather be taking in the city, it was great to have a chance to sit back with a couple glasses of wine and relax.
Off tonight for another group dinner. Ford tomorrow then spa afternoon!!
Later kids!
- Posted on the go...
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