The end is near…sad face.
Ignore the grammar, I’m doing this on an iPad.
(What a great trip - probably one of the best I’ve ever been on. We’ve met a lot of great people over the past few months, some well see back ate SCU, others we may never see again (at least we have Facebook). We all made some unforgettable memories through some unbelievable experiences.)
So it’s been a few days since my last post. I recall that the last one was our final night in Koh Tao with Liran and his GF showing us how things are done after mid night. Some things I forgot to mention about that night - we got a picture with a lady boy. We tried to hook James up but she wasn’t having it. There’s some other stuff but I’ll take it to the grave with me. The next morning were hung over as shit as we make our way to the dive resort lobby. I saw some open water beginners getting their gear together and I couldn’t help but think how jealous I was that they are getting to experience what we did (although probably not the the extent we did) over the past few days.
Oh yeah, did I mention the night dive was totally sick? It was pitch black and as you moved around the dive site, barracuda would follow you, waiting for you to shine your light on a fish so they can eat it. We also say a sleeping trigger fish as well as a few other fishes. At one point, we picked up a rouge diver. She was lost and couldn’t find her group, so Liran had to take her to find them. We stayed and waited but there was some confusion and I thought James had gotten lost and Liran was going to find him. After the dive, we ascend to some crazy rough seas. The boat is bouncing what looks like +- 15 feet as the waves kept rolling by. A one point Liran had to jump back into the water and help a few of us get back into the boat. A wild end to a wild trip. The plan is for Liran and Ruth to come to California in the near future to dive Monterey and possibly Catalina island, which I sincerely hope happens.
So the last few posts were Koh Tao in a nut shell. There are so many more stories I could tell but just don’t have the stamina to put them into words. We leave Koh Tao and head to Bangkok. A 2 hour ferry and an 8 hour bus ride later and we arrive, then promptly pass out. The next morning at 4:30am, we are pick up by a tour guide and head to the tiger temple. On the way, we stop by the bridge over Kwai river (a movie was made about it) for some touristy photos and a brief history lesson. Next stop were the tigers. Why were we there at 7am? Because it’s the only time you get to feed and be blessed by the monks who live on the grounds; it’s the only time you get to see the tigers extremely active since they nap during the day; it’s the only time yget to feed/walk/bath the baby tigers; and it’s the only time you get to get into a cage with a dozen teenage tigers and dangle a bag on a stick in front of their face. Also, there’s practically no one else there. During the whole trip, our guide Kuhn keeps hassling James and I (James more so) about getting lady boys. She was one funny lady.
After all of that excitement, we head to an elephant camp where we saddle up (bareback) on some elephant and head to the Kwai river for some water activities, and by water activities I mean the elephant spraying you, bucking you off, and picking you up with his trunk, all while in the Kwai. Our last stop was a 5 star restaurant in the middle of the jungle. Totally random but freaking delicious. We head back to Bangkok (seeing some monkeys along the way) and take a look at the thousands of photos our tour guide took of us. Later that night, James and I head out to the streets to see what the night life in Bangkok has to offer. I think we may have taken a wrong turn cuz we soon start getting grabbed and pulled by what I can only describe as small Thai women looking to make a few bucks. It’s took us a while to make our way through only to find a dead end, so we have to fight our way back through them one more. As we were walking, an African guy walks by and tells me to follow him. Is it strange I briefly considered doing it, but I then came to my senses. Lady boys were everywhere! I think we counted around 30 at one point.
W grab some grub and booze at a German bar located in the heart of all this chaos. this eneded the night. Now were sitting in the hotel room, getting ready for our final day in this city. We fly out in about 13 hours, but have to leave in 8 since traffic is expected to be bad.
Awesome trip, Both in china and in Thailand. I’m extremely glad I decided to go at the very last second. Just goes to show that spontaneity can be a virtue!
Advanced Divers
I’m hung over as shit right now, so let’s do this…
So the other night after our first two open water dives, we are invited to join the crystal dive staff at a farewell BBQ at a bar called vibe. While there, we see Liran and his GF, as well as some other dive masters and divers. A few beers, some laughs, and some free BBQ later and we cal it a night since we have a 7am dive time.
Oh yeah, before we head out to the bar, we go by the bungalow to drop off our stuff. Well, I see a black cat in the dark right next to us by the front door and I say “oh shit” very softly. At just the next second, James sees it and after hearing me say oh shit, thinks it’s some kind of dragon creature and let’s out a scream I’ve never herd before while jumping beck a few feet. I fell to the floor outside the front door laughing for a good 5 minutes (it was that funny!).
So the last couple of days we hammered out our advanced certification with Liran which included navigation, deep dive, wreck dive, naturalist, and ending it with a crazy night dive certification.
So I’m gonna skip over a lot of stuff and head right to last night, where the booze flowed like water. We start out at the safety stop pub next to the pier with some buckets (sang sum with a lil mixer). Soon our british friend shows up and not too long after that we head out. We head to sairee beach and proceed to smoke hukah and drink long islands. After that, we Succesfully attempt to get trashed while playing connect four against the bar tender at the next bar (yup, I had the longest winning streak - 2) and low and behold who shows up at the bar? Liran and Ruth, our dive instructor and his GF. So awesome. We continue slamming buckets and playing pool until Liran has us follow him (just like our open water dive) to another bar with quite a few lady boys. I tried to hook James up with one but he wwas set with some girl thats from the states but lives in shanghai. We walk down the beach, all hammered (Fiona especially), and come across another bar where we befriend a monstrous lady boy. Several beers later and we head back to the hotel where James bangs that shanghai chick (too graphic?) while I hid behind a bush (ask for details).
The last night was a perfect end to a perfect stay on koh Tao. Now were waiting for our the ferry back to the mainland. A total of about 10 hours of travel today. Hopefully I can write my paper!
Open water
Hey guys,
Today’s was our first day of open water diving - totally awesome! According to our instructor, all three of us are naturals. Saw some bitchin sea life and had no issue. We dove to 12 meters and tomorrow we round out the open water certification with two more dives followed by a video viewing of the dive at the beach bar back at the dive resort. Then the following day, we start our advanced certification which will include navigation, a wreak dive, deep dive (30m), night dive, and a way off shore dive (at the instructors favorite dive spot, and a propulsion dive).
Tonight one of the bars on the island (right up the street) is having a farewell for one of the crystal dive masters, so were gonna partake in some free BBQ and booze. I could easily move here.
W still haven’t found James a lady boy, stay tuned.
Thai massage, first day of scuba
First day of scuba
So we arrived in koh Tao after our 24 hours travel from shanghai and the first thing we see is a rock in the middle of the ocean coverlid in green vegetation and palm trees. Ladies and gentlemen, we’ve arrived in paradise. It’s a cool 90 with around 80% humidity. The shirt ha been and will remain off for the duration of the trip.
Today was an exploration of our piece of the island. The beach is Gorgeous and things are still dirt cheep. Breakfast consisted of a British breakfast up the hill. The island has a shit load of dogs and one puppy in particular attacked us while we were laying on the beach (cute lil shit). We grabbed some waters and some other stuff then proceeded to the scuba instructions. Our rooms are exactly as they sound, non air-conditioned bungalows right up from the beach. we actually have a third room mate - a gecko named leon.
Did I mention the food here is the best I’ve ever had? And cheap? I don’t wanna leave.
Enter scuba class, where were taught the ins and outs of scuba. In the class is two Israelis, two Brits, two Irish, one Aussie and us three Californians, however for the water portion of the class we will be divided in two groups. The teaching went well, actually, it was a little more intense and in depth than I imagined it to be.after that we walk into town and grab some delicious Thai food, beer, and spring rolls for a cool $5.5 US per person. Then James and I decide to get a massage - one hour Thai massage (which should be called pressure point bendy twisty but totally awesome massage) for $10 US. So awesome. Interesting fact; we have to throw away ALL tissue paper in a bucket and cant toss it into the toilet so as to keep the beach clean, which makes me think the shit just flows into the ocean. Tomorrow we hit the pool after some brief class work.
Were acclimating to the environment really well. I’m stoked to be here and I’m sure James and Fiona are too. It looks like after 7 days here (4 scuba cert. then some exploration and maybe advanced diver cert), then it’s back to Bangkok where we finish our trip with some Bangkok-style fun as well as a trip to the tiger temple/waterfalls/elephant walls.
Kho Tao and the journey to get there
Last day in China - SCU MBA China study abroad
So if you read my earlier post, you know what went down for part of the last night. However what happened before that needs to be told. W started the day off with a visit to a stem cell research / premium health clinic for the financially and socially privileged. The presentation felt more like a sales pitch than anything. However, we did learn who their target market was, as well as an idea of what their marketing tactics were. By addressing a lacking supply of quality care, they are able to charge a premium to the upper class. The tour was very strange - ringing of a 5 star hotel with smiling faces everywhere. I’m still skeptical of whether or not their procedures actually work.
Next was our farewell lunch held at a restraint hooked up by bing and her family. We had some great food accompanied by a great view of the bund from the other side of the river. W said our goodbyes to lee and the professor, and Ilya, James, Haley and I head off to try on our suits. M arrive, try them on, and have to have a couple pairs of pants resized. James was actually like spandex. 2 hours and a large Tsing Tao later and we head back to the hotel and pack for the next days travel. That night the SCU MBA c got together at the hotel bar and proceeds to drink up a storm and do karaoke with our buddy and keyboardist who just happened to be from San Jose. I also spoke to a guy named jack who works in the nuclear industry wi Westinghouse. We stayed up until around 2, then hit the sack since James and I had to be up at 5.
Awesome trip guys. I think we all formed some great friendships and our experience will carry through for the rest of our lives.
THAILAND
The next day we meet in the lobby at 5:45 for the car to the airport. 5:55 rolls around and no James, so I call up to the room and guess what? He was still asleep. 10 minutes later he come down looking haggard. We arrive at the airport, say our goodbyes to the other students that road with us, then jet off to Thailand.
W arrive, grab a taxi with a driver that practiced his English with us, then arrive in Bangkok at the primary walking street (the name escapes me). W took in the smells and sights, then grab some delicious grub which wound up costing less than$4 US. next up was a one hour foot/leg/shoulder/arm/back massage on the street in some comfy chairs for $6! A side note, my masseuse had be take off my shirt, which wound up being nice with the hot air and humidity. We then walk around a little more, then park our selves at a restaurant (outside) and took in the sights and smells again. 2 hours, 2 beers, a delicious Thai dinner and $7 US later and we head off once again to shop around. Then comes a sudden downpour of rain, lighting and thunder. The streets flooded within minutes; it was quite the sight!
The rain never let up and we proceed to make our way to the bus that will take us to The ferry. We spoke to a few other travelers, one of which was Dutch who had her bag stollen by a passing scooter in Laos (her arm was bruised). She told us that fellow travelers whom they had never met gave them money so they could pay for new documents and travel to the embassy (people for the most part are good, I’ve come to realize). Another two travelers were from the states and had been in Thailand for a week or so. I didn’t quite get their story but while they were talking, a mouse hid under James bag. I’ve never herd such a squeal come from a man, and we laughed for a good 3 minutes. The bus ride was long the actual bus was killer and I had the pleasure to sit next to a british dive master who gave me the ins and outs of diving. They played 2 fast 2 furious for our “in flight entertainment”. The bus stopped at a strange market so people could buy stuff at like 2am. We arrived at the ferry terminal, watched the sun rise over a gorgeous backdrop, saw a double rainbow, then hopped on the ferry. 2 hours later, we are sitting on the beach on a tinny island in the middle of the Thai gulf. Te rooms are bungalows and we have a third room mate - a gecko. It’s such a change from the cities of Beijing and Shanghai, although I wouldn’t mind living in shanghai for a year or two.
Total travel time from shanghai to Kho Tao ~ 24 hours.
Stay tuned to see if James get a lady boy.
——-> Break in by naked man!!! <———-
Okay so it’s the last night and we all had drinks at the Zbar. Well, it was 1:30 and I have to be up at 4:45 so I head up where Kevin is already asleep. Well, long story short, I COME IN, GET IN BED, AND 2 MINUTES LATER A CHINESE MAN SOMEHOW GETS INTO OUR ROOM IN HIS UNDERWEAR AND FLIP FLOPS! IT’S PITCH BLACK AND WE THINK IT’S JAMES JUST HAMMERED SO WE HESITATE IN YELLING AT HIM, BUT THE MISTERY MAN SLOLEY WALKS TO KEVNS BED SPEEKING MADARIN VERY SOFTLY AND STARTS TO GET INTO HIS BED, GETTING AT LEAST ONE LEG IN. WE START FREAKING OUT, YELLING AT HIM “NONONONONONONONONO!” THEN START YELLNG AT HIM TO GET THE FUCK OUT!!!!! How did he get in our room?!
He finally turns around and leaves but stands outside our room for five minutes motionless, staring at the wall. He finally disappears into the night and we are still stunned at what just transpired. I couldn’t wait to throw this in the blog, thus the oddly late time stamp. I have to be up in 2 hours, yay! A shout out to all of my china trip companions, especially the late-night troopers, Brad, uddy (how ever you spell your name) Christine and the bitch James.
What a way to end the last night in Shanghai - good drinks, good friends, and a half naked Chinese man trying to spoon you. Cant wait for Thailand! Stay tuned to see if James gets a lady boy!
Fun times
(ignore that grammar, I’m doing this on an iPad)
Yesterday we visited blue dot, a furniture company that prides itself on providing edgy premium furniture. The speaker made it sound like it is really difficult to live here if you’re married, given the night life. This was reconfirmed by our speaker James, a fellow SCU alumni today, but I’ll get to that later. Regarding blue dot, I felt like I learned more about the manufacturing process here in china than anything else. We also learned that you can find sleeping shanghai residents at the ikea store. This was our only company for the day, so James (who’s Chinese name is chin dong, or eastern sky given to him by our bartender back in Beijing), Ilya, and Haley decide to go get suits made at the suit market. W find a humble old man and his daughter (the only people who didn’t hassle us while we were walking through), 5 suits and a nice looking jacket for haley later and we head off, under budget, to get ready for the alumni dinner. The restraint has an amazing view of shanghai, especially looking towards the bund. I spoke to a couple of alumni, one being a local shanghai resident who manages a fund for various customers (mostly government) of over $1 billion US. I’m fairly confident I established some guang xi with David and hope to be speaking with him soon. 2 of the alumni take us to this nice night club / hookha bar called Barbosa where it was ladies night and all the girls drank for free. Unfortunately, us boys still paid full price for our drinks but still had a great time, especially with the roof top bar and hookha session. A perct end to a perfect day.
Today we started off at Tigo where we were met by a fellow SCU grad James. I don’t think I’ve been so impressed with someone than I was with James. He was very knowledgable about his subject (solar), explained it very well, and demonstrated a sizeable knowledge of business skills. Lunch was held at a restraint normally reserved for state officials, but since bing (a tag along undergrad at SCU) has clammily connections to the owner, we were allowed to dine. Delicious lobster. Next stop was Bao steel, a stated owned enterprise (SOE). Our host was a little strange, as if he was putting up a front and acting like everything at Bao is great and wonderful even though we were just informed that their net profits had declined by roughly 37% last year. The cool part was when we got to tour the manufacturing plant, where it was easily over 120 degrees while the multin steam passed through the quarter mile of machinery that was used to shape it into thin sheets. You could feel the intense heat even from our distance which was around 150 feet.
While driving through the campus (which is essentially a small city) we come across a boat in the harbor where a kid was hanging off a boat and taking a number 2 right into the ocean. Classic. We rounded off today with a hot pot dinner where we ate for a solid hour. Awesome experience! brad and I ate duck blood which wasn’t bad actually. So thus far, that’s a scorpion, fish eyeball and now duck blood. Afterwards we hit the hotel bar and got a few drinks with the group, watched some tv with Ilya and Haley back in his room, and am now in my room finishing up this blog while Kevin does the same.
Tomorrow is our last day. I’m kind of sad it’s coming to an end but I feel this group has formed some sizable and long lasting bonds. I’m excited for what the future holds and the doors that this trip has opened. I’m also excited for tomorrow - we pick up our suits and end the trip with a bash at one shanghais wildest nigh clubs, either M1nt (yes thats how its spelled) or Apartment. Then it’s off to thailand for a whole other adventure. Stay tuned.
Long day
Yesterday we hit the streets of Shanghai and headed to the Bund. Let me just say that jeans and a polo in this weather is torture. Four metro stops and we arrive at a crowded New York-style street filled with expats, tourists and locals. A short walk down and we arrive at the water front. We get a Japanese guy to take our pic then we head to Bar Rouge - a swanky night club (the reason for the jeans and polo). It’s Monday night so it wasn’t as bumpin as we had hoped, but the view was spectacular from the rooftop bar. We overhear an American business man talking about SOEs and buying a company, so naturally we are intrigued and end up sending in our scouting agent Ilya. He finds out that the guy is a writer and supposedly an entrepreneur, but he wouldn’t admit to it. Ilya also spoke to an australian that owned an AC company here in shanghai. Supposedly he lost about $16 million in the stock market, didn’t have enough money to get back home, so he either started or grew his AC business to the point where he is now considered a baller. We caught a glimpse of a high class chinese escort and the australian guy prwomptly told us that we couldnt afford her. The drinks were about what they cost in the states, albeit not as strong, and the waiter hovered over us until we paid. Too bad we didn’t get a chance to experience the place at it’s full glory during a Friday or Saturday night. Next up was a visit to the wall street bull. Actually, it’s a replica of it located on the bund. While we were at the bull, we saw a military man carrying a camera filming a car, then a guy carrying a kid. Both of the men jump into a black Audi and take off with the kid in hand. We catch a glimpse of the license plate and sure enough it was a government car. It was really strange. A few photos later and we head back to the hotel.
Today is by far our longest business day with three companies, my company being the last. First stop was the US commerce office. I found this to be the most informative stop given that they gave us helpful advice and suggestions on how to enter the Chinese market as a US company. I had no idea they offered the services they did ( for a nominal fee) and they appear to be invaluable if you are attempting to enter the Chinese market. The lunch was good but there was a questionable dish that looked undercooked so Jonathan had them take it back and recook it (well done John). However, they brought it back steaming hot but was still sort of grey (it was imitation shrimp or something). I tried it and it had the texture of calamari; not so good.
It Cwas at this point where I hit the wall. Way too much MSG or some one poisoned the food because I got to the point where I could barely hold my head up during the next presentation at The Shaw Group. Fortunately, I wasn’t the only one. Our speaker Mr. Hughes told us that their deal with the government is as such; they come in, provide their services to local nuclear power utility companies but must mentor a chinese national during their stay, which is designed to teach the chinese national about nuclear energy project management so they can one day take over the Americans job. This is so for Mr. Hughes, as well as his directors. I found that part fascinating.
After trying to stay awake while learning about nuclear energy in China, we head to Silicon Valley Bank. I found it interesting since this is right up my alley in terms of finance. However, nothing really stood out to me nor was I told anything I didn’t already know about doing business in the Chinese market, other than the fact you have to apply for a license if you want to provide any new financial security, that a representative from the government sits in on the board meetings of all financial firms, and that the Chinese finance industry wasn’t as hard hit by the financial crisis because they didn’t have the financial derivatives that the US had which limited their exposure.
After the meeting at SVB, we jet to the nearest coffee shop and are now wired and ready to go. Tonight will be low key, hitting up an Indian restaurant near the hotel then either checking to see if this place has a hot tub or going to the bar in the lobby. I’m getting excited for Thailand which is right around the corner.
A side note on random things I’ve forgotten to blog about: kids here wear open ass shorts so they can do their business whenever and where every they please (I haven’t seen it go down yet, although I saw a kid peeing on the curb at the summer palace); couples wear matching shirts; and they have the oddest flavor of snacks here (green tea Oreos and steak flavored lays). That’s all for now.
Day…I forget.
(ignore the grammar, I’m doing this on an iPad)
The days are starting to blur together now. Yesterday we took the bullet train to shanghai, arriving in just under 5 hours. The train food was questionable, but I did get quite a bit of work done on my paper (I do not want to be working on it while in Thailand). The hotel is very nice with the most comfortable bed ever. Last night we hit the streets, stumbling across a traditional dumplings shop, where we filled up half the seats. Delicious food for sure. A thanks to johnathan who helped us find our way to the rest room 2 blocks away. We headed back and the group split into two when we came to a fork in the road. Fortunately, the 4 of us took the short path and had enough time to stop by 7-11, get cold stone ice cream, and relax by the time the rest go there.
Today was a cultural day, where we started off at the Yu Garden. What stood out to me was how Many western restaurants and snack shops were located in this historical area. We got our pictures taken a few times, one where the lady jumped in the shot. Next was the jade budha temple. The smell of indents were strong, and there were some impressive statues. The jade budha was also impressive it’s too bad we couldn’t take a photo of it. All in all a good day.
The humidity isn’t as bad as I thought it would be today. Also, my nickname on this trip is now cheese, thanks to our awesome coordinator Lee (she really does rock). Now we’re back in the hotel and will probably hit the gym then head out for the night. I just can’t forget to do my company update before we leaveomorrow morning.
Shanghai
