Traveling Asia as a Regional Manager
Observations on the human side of travelling
On a lazy Saturday road trip along the East Cost road (State Highway 35) we stumbled across the beautiful Christ Church in Raukokore. It is open for the local citizenry and passing traveller alike. As a local landmark it comes into and passes out of view over a number of kilometres.
The church is named as one of the region’s “101 must-do” sites by the AA!
My sister is an excellent present finder and at Christmas and Birthdays it is always intriguing to see what she has found. This year a Kalimba made in Burkina Faso, although I think she did not travel there to buy it! A quick search and I discovered my version is somewhat on the basic end of the Kalimba scale and made out of a sardine can but lovingly hand crafted. It is a genuine delight to to have. A deluxe Kalimba can be viewed here and the sound of my one can be heard below, I can obviously not play it and it is a little tricky to get a nice tone out of it.
A spare hour in Seoul enabled me to cross the road from the hotel into the Bongeunsa Temple grounds. As is often the case with a temple in the the city it is amazing how the tension of the metropolis evaporates shortly after entering the grounds. Regardless of your religion, faith or lack thereof I find that people wandering the grounds are usually trying to make sense of life, connecting with friends, thiniking and praying for loved ones and family or just wandering around and enjoying nature and beauty. It is certainly a more noble use of time than going to the mall.
I was particularly intrigued by the numerous small stone pebble constructions which maybe were made by temple visitors as some lesson in patience and concentration by their monk guru.
It is amazing to think that this temple was initialed constructed well over a 1,000 years ago and in it’s current form since 1498. Hard to imagine the surroundings back then but it has survived the progress of mankind springing up it all around it with dignity.
Links for more information: Bongeunsa Temple Wiki and Visit Korea Website
Map:
Heading on the bike up to Chiang Rai from Nong Khai along the Thai-Laos border. I spent the night in Chiang Khan for no other reason that it fell somewhere between Nong Khai and Nan and I did not want to ride too far the first day (out of three), so Chiang Khan it was! What a pleasant suprise that I was not able to fully explore after arriving late afternoon and leaving first thing the next day. The high street is a charm with loads of cafes, market stalls and guest houses along the Mekong with views across to Laos. It has a feel of Pai up north so if you like Pai you will like Chiang Khan.
So here are a just few shots of the Mekong from the cafe I grabbed a late lunch at, sunset around the resort I am staying at and a nearby restaurant with typical Loei ghostly artwork.
I look forward to a longer stay on another trip and more photos.
On Sunday the people of Shinjuku trade their second hand clothes and redundant household items in the park. It is quite endearing and this time I was witness to the set up from my hotel room.
See Trading in the Park for photos from a previous visit.
For most, me included, Narita is the airport (NRT) at Tokyo where you arrive and depart but having had several overnights over the years I have started to explore a little.
If you have to stay a night or two at one of the many airport hotels you can probably get a free hotel shuttle to Keisei Narita Station or JR Narita station which are basically in the same locale. From there a 10 minute walk along Omotesando Road and you are into Naritasan Park where you can stroll around and inbibe Japanese peace, order and culture. If you have time for a meal order some Unaju which you can see being prepared fresh if you arrive in the morning. Although you may not want to see your eel alive and then swiftly chopped up, but at least you know it is fresh!
So get out of the hotel, fight the jet lag and explore…. you won’t regret it.
One of the delights of doing business is the relationships you develop with your customers. One relationship that has blossomed is with my distributor in Japan which has involved much hard work on both sides. Throughout all this Onkyo Tokki have always provided me with highlight after highlight of wonderful lunches and dinners.
On this trip it was my first try of Miyazaki beef and it was frankly outstanding! I am so grateful for the kindness and generosity they have shown me as I learn about doing business in Japan.
Along highway 1148 is a lovely small Buddhist monument. It is well worth a detour. You are mostly likely to be passing by going to or from between Chinag Rai and Nan.
You can see a POV video of the ride along highway 1148 to the location here and the location is just a few minutes passed the end of the video.
The location can be found on Google here
Map:
Photos:
December in Thailand is wonderfully cool and I took a couple of weeks and headed off up to Chiang Rai. Once in Chiang Rai I worked and hung out for a a week. For a cheap five star hotel check out the Le Meridian, a bargain at around US$100 a night and first class establishment. For those who think Thailand is baking hot all the time if you venture up north at this time of year be prepared to wrap up warm. I usually set off riding before 6am and was poorly equipment for the cold! But come late morning it has warmed up to ride with minimal layers.
This video and photos chart the trip.
Thanks to Shimona Kee for letting me use her song ‘Rainy Day. Check out Shimona here
In a blatant disregard to the Mayor and Chief of Police’s edict, local residents of Shinjuku trade briskly in Shinjuku central park. People seem to sell a mixture of their old belongings, fake goods and hand made items to a whole range of society. It is a fantastic people watching experience which I think is probably repeated across the city’s parks.
