Where in the World?

When you’re safe at home you wish you were having an adventure; when you’re having an adventure you wish you were safe at home. – Thornton Wilder

Erica and I arrived back in Rhode Island about 9:30 p.m. It was a long day of flying from California. Combined with the extra physical activity with our week in Yosemite, I was quite tired by the time we arrived. But it was a good tired. It’s the same feeling when you get a lot of work done around the house. In this case it was due to extracting all the available fun and adventure out of every minute we spent in Yosemite.

I still couldn’t go to sleep immediately. Even though my body wanted to, my mind had other plans. Thinking about the trip, looking at my photos and just relaxing in my apartment kept me up until midnight.

It doesn’t take long for me to start planning for my next adventure. I find that funny. I love to return home, but shortly after, I start to think about my next travel. The next big one is Alaska this summer, but I know that I’ll be doing some smaller trips between now and then. Well, there is Barcelona coming up. Not necessarily a small trip.

But, I’m home for now and I love it.

Michael

We got back to Sacramento late last night from Yosemite. It was quite an incredible trip. Yosemite was beautiful, spectacular and very refreshing. The weather was perfect even with a night and partial day of rain. I haven’t found a time in Yosemite that was not perfect. It’s just what the place is all about.

My daughter and I realized that it was almost exactly one year since our last trip together to Yosemite. We’ve decided to make this an annual trip. It’s a great idea.

I’ve been here over 10 times and I saw things I had never seen. I’m endlessly fascinating about that. Wildlife was abundant. We saw mule deer and coyote on multiple occasions. There were new ephemeral waterfalls to enjoy. Wildflowers were abundant.

On the way out of Yosemite, we were able to spend several tranquil hours walking through the giant sequoias in the southern part of the park. As an added bonus, we discovered an incredible waterfall off of Hwy. 41 that made is felt like we had been transported to a tropical jungle.

We are already planning our next trip.

Michael

I drove to Boston Logan Airport this afternoon. I had a flight to Helsinki, Finland. Almost immediately after settling down at the gate to await boarding, announcements started about possible delays.

Apparently the front landing gear had problems that could cause the plane to lurch 90^o to the side when landing. That didn’t sound like a minor problem to fix. The mechanics worked on it and the pilots tested the plane on the runway for over 1 1/2 hours. The flight was supposed to leave at 4:15 p.m. Around 6:00 p.m. I had a strong feeling that the flight would be canceled even though testing was continuing. I walked back up to the ticket counter and got in line. There were about 25 people in front of me.

About 45 minutes later, people started to pour out of the gate area. The flight had been canceled. I’m glad I was already in line as it grew to a couple of hundred people. Even with me being so close to the front, it still took almost 2 hours to get my tickets changed.

It’s important to take these kinds of changes/events with a light heart. Getting angry, impatient and frustrated will only prolong your negative experience. Those feelings don’t help the situation at all. I always think of what my uncle says about events like this: “Wherever you are is exactly where you are supposed to be.” That really helps to keep me relaxed. I’m also very appreciative to be safely on the ground!

Have a great day!

Michael

My company had upgraded my ticket to business class today so that I would have an easier flight home after my surgery. I was very appreciative until I got up to the Lufthansa reservation desk. I was told that I had been upgraded to first class and would that be okay? Uhhhhh. Let me think. “Well, I’ll accept this time and make the sacrifice”, I said. My appreciation level jumped off the scale.

This is the second time I’ve been upgraded to first class on an international flight since I began my intense yearly travel in 2001. Let me tell you, I become spoiled within about five minutes. It’s the opposite of flying in economy. The difference is extraordinary but I could never see paying the thousands of dollars extra to actually buy a first class ticket unless of course that kind of money was a fraction of what I really owned.

As they were only seven of us in first class, the flight attendant basically waited on us hand and foot. First, we were all handed a toilet kit (toothbrush, tooth paste, eye shades, lotion, ear plugs, etc.), slippers, socks to keep our feet warmed, a night shirt so we could sleep comfortably and a single rose for our extremely large seats that could lay out flat for that perfect nap or deep sleep.

Then the food began to pour in. Drinks (water, sodas, wine, liquor, coffee, tea, etc.) to start and a plate of warm nuts to wet our appetites. Before our five course meal began we were handed heavy face towels; hot with a bit of citrus oil to refresh our faces and hands. We have been flying about 20 minutes at this point.

My five course meal consisted of: 1) some kind of sliced meat with pickled vegetables, 2) boiled shrimp with eggplant and tomato, 3) salad with 10 or 12 choices of bread, 4) lamb medallions with potatoes and mixed vegetables and 5) apple crisp with almond ice cream. The flight attendant asked if I would like coffee with my dessert. As I nodded yes, she asked if I would like and espresso or cappuccino. Cappuccino, please! I’m realizing that heaven is somewhere around 35,000 feet surrounded by a large metal tube.

I thought that the food would stop at this time, but I had to choose from a large box of very fancy chocolate truffles to go with my iced Bailey’s. I had not prepared myself for the innumerable decisions I would face on this flight. It was quite challenging.

During my meal, I had the choice of watching about 50 different movies or T.V. shows. I choose a long movie to complement my long meal. As we reached the southern tip of Greenland, I became sleepy. Probably caused by all the food. I laid my seat flat and took the most restful nap I’ve ever had on a plane.

As we flew over eastern Canada, I again had more food choices. I settled for smoked salmon sandwiches and fruit.

My only complaint about the entire trip was that it was too short!

I’m always very grateful when events like this happen. I use them to instill an attitude of hope for future experiences to be the same or better.

Have a great day!

Michael

The humor I experienced last night continued on my flight from Austin to Chicago today. The United flight attendant had quite the wit. Here was my favorite from her right before our takeoff:

In the event of a loss of cabin pressure, oxygen masks will drop from the ceiling. Place them over your mouth and tighten using the straps. At this point you can stop screaming and breathe normally.

She had some great advice after we landed:

Use caution when opening the overhead bins as contents may have shifted……..(Drum roll)……Shift happens.

Our arrival gate was C1 and she announced one of the connecting flights would be leaving from B20 (this was my connection). She said that she hoped that anyone who had to go to Gate B20 had good walking shoes because it was a long walk.

This United flight attendant exhibited some of the best customer service I’ve seen. Everyone was smiling when they left the plane. I’m guessing that most of us will remember this flight and fly United again in the hopes of having her as a flight attendant.

It really doesn’t take much effort to lighten the mood, give a compliment or just do that little bit of extra “something” to make someone’s day.

I’m going to make sure that I pass on my good fortune today. What about you?

Michael

Several delays in Houston caused me to arrive quite late into Austin. The flight was packed like a can of sardines and it appeared that numerous travelers had experienced multiple delays all day.

A young lady sat next to me on my left. I’m guessing her age to be 19 or 20. She was a softball player from her school and was returning from Colorado. On my right, across the aisle was a mother with her one year old daughter.

The softball player laughed the entire flight to Austin. She had a keen dry sense of humor and stated to me that normally she was not this funny nor did she laugh at everything. It was because she was tired from the long day of flight delays. The one year old was one of the happiest babies I had been around in quite some time. She was also quite funny.

I was talking to a friend on the phone before boarding and stated that I was at the point of laughter because of all the delays. I’m not like most people. I try to make the most of any situation. So, it was quite refreshing to sit in between two people who were either very happy, creating laughter or just plain giddy. It made the short flight and the feeling of being tired a non issue.

The other lesson that was clear to me was how much we can affect others by being in a positive and uplifting mood. Even being silly is much better than being grumpy, any day.

So, as you go through your day today, be aware of your attitude. Keep it “up” no matter what is going on inside you and you will have a positive effect on others. Eventually you’ll be rewarded by getting the same in return.

Have a great day!

Michael

I started off my business travel week with a less than wonderful stay at the Holiday Inn near the Helsinki Airport. The room was small, but I can manage that. The problem was that the temperature was in the 80’s. It was quite warm and humid. I called reception to ask for an air conditioned room.

“All are occupied,” says the clerk. She asks, “Are you using the fan?”

“Yes, but it is only blowing the hot air around in the room,” I say with a big smile on my face. (I’m trying to keep my attitude up). I ask for a bigger fan. It takes 5 calls and 7 hours to finally get a new one.

Next, I open up the bathroom and I’m greeted with the smell of sewer. Oh my! Can you guess? All the rooms were booked. In fact all hotels in Helsinki were full. The final problem was that the internet and T.V. couldn’t work at the same time. Not enough plugs. I’m a multi-tasker so I can do both. This was a minor inconvenience. I was working on the more serious problem of how to take a shower without using the bathroom.

I leave Helsinki for Germany on Wednesday. There were a total of 2 1/2 hours of delays. Here they are in order of occurrence: weather related flow control in Munich, baggage stuck on the lift belt into the plane, baggage door stuck open on plane, flow control delay again, thunderstorms in Munich delay.

I arrive in the Munich airport. Everything is closed except for the Lufthansa Service Center. They will pay for a hotel room, dinner and breakfast. Fantastic! I’m thinking things are turning around. The agent then says, but we have a small problem. I’m amused at this point.

“What’s the issue?” I say.

“Well, there are no hotel rooms left in Munich. In fact the nearest one is a one hour taxi ride,” says the agent.

“I’ll take it,” I say. I calculate that I’ll get about 4 hours of sleep by the time I get to the hotel before having to wake up to ride back to the Munich airport.

I find a taxi outside. The driver was fantastic. He was very nice, very accommodating, and drove incredibly fast. It seems to be common here. Nearing the hotel I see that the area was really nice. I could just barely see a lake and some mountains. We turn into the hotel area and I’m astonished at what I’m looking at. The Seehotel Uberhafrt Tegernsee hotel was luxury at its finest. The service and room were on very high standards. This was quite the change from the Holiday Inn in Helsinki.

The overall moral here is simple. Keep your attitude up. Laugh at the situation. Go with the flow.

It was a great trip plus I got a good story out of it.

Michael

As we drove to the Beijing airport for our long flight back to the U.S., Grace, our tour guide, told us a lesson that she had been taught by her mother. To set the reason for the story, I must briefly describe a short incident that happened on Monday, May 28th. The Beijing Capitol City Museum was closed on that day. So, Grace, being the adaptable tour guide, made some suggestions on how to change our itinerary and still meet all of the items on our contracted travel to-do list. Well, a number of our group started to react quite vocally, splitting us into numerous “factions.” It was quite interesting to watch this total breakdown. Finally, after much discussion in Chinese and English, an agreement was crafted. The total time to a compromise was about an hour.Grace recovered quickly, which is a testament to her ability to adapt and move pass a difficult situation. Today, on the bus, Grace recounted her mother’s lesson.

If you have a bad experience, leave it behind you. Focus your attention on your happy experiences.

This simple, but deeply wise philosophy holds critical keys to being happier. I loved the fact that as I personally search for keys to happiness, I find them everywhere, regardless of what country I’m in. Fundamentally, we are all made of the same stuff and want to live happy, productive lives.

The Chinese are an amazing people with thousands of years of history, a rich mythology with colorful legends and a great desire to make connections with the rest of the world. I found them to be warm, open, insatiably curious, possessing a strong desire to interact with foreigners, a fantastic sense of humor and a great willingness to do their best. Many wanted to practice their English with us no matter how much they knew. They just wanted to interact.

I’m so glad that I went on this trip. It was special from the beginning and always will be.

Have a great day.

Michael

After a quick trip to the Beijing Zoo this morning, we were soon face to face with the Giant Panda. The Chinese call the Panda, Xiong Mao (approximate pronunciation is soong mow) or “bear cat.” They believe the panda is like a bear but not a bear and like a cat but not a cat. The Giant Pandas are considered a national treasure to the Chinese. There are not that many left in the wild (1200 – 1500).As we had arrived early in the morning, the pandas were having a hearty breakfast of bamboo. Three pandas were actively eating outside where they could easily be seen. All were eating sitting on their haunches with a slouched posture, but each was eating the bamboo in their own individual way. One was eating both stalk and leaves whole heartedly. The second was eating mainly the bamboo stalk, while the third was stripping the leaves and quickly devouring them. I was quite mesmerized as was most of our group.

A short bus ride took us to the Beijing Capital City Museum. The first thing you notice is the absolutely stunning architecture of the building. The design is well balanced with a round section (symbol of heaven) and a square section (symbol of earth). The interior space was grand on a massive scale.

The museum has been open for about one year and houses a large collection of Chinese folk history, ancient calligraphy, ancient jade art, ancient bronze art, paintings and etc. We only had 1 1/2 hours to peruse the many exhibit floors.

In the ancient jade exhibit, I was looking at some wonderful pieces from a few hundred years ago when a Chinese gentleman carrying a Nikon digital SLR camera approached me. Of course, I had my camera out also. He began to talk about some of the pieces, reading the Chinese for me as the English description was very short. I could tell he knew the collection as he maneuvered around the exhibit in a well traveled manner. He told me to follow him as he wanted to show me the finest piece on the floor. I was brought to an exquisite dark, translucent green jade thumb ring from several hundred years ago.

The Chinese gentleman told me that the ring was very difficult to photograph. The lighting was low and designed to bring out the translucence of the jade without throwing too much light around. Also, a tripod was needed because of the low light, but tripods were not allowed in the museum. So, I pointed my Canon camera and took the shot. He immediately wanted to look at what I had taken. I showed him and he stepped back and smiled with approval. As we parted, I thanked him for showing me around. I walked away watching him taking photos from the angle that I had been shooting from.

I leave China with a tinge of sadness as I’m quite taken with the country and its wonderful people. I’m already planning my next trip and hope to experience more of Zhong Guo, The Middle Kingdom.

Have a great day.

Michael

Our final full day in Beijing began at the 726 acre Summer Palace of which 545 acres is water. The entire acreage is the “palace” and not a specific building. The Summer Palace functioned as a place of relaxation and entertainment for the royal families.It was originally built in the Jin Dynasty (1115 – 1234). As the years went by, it was extended considerably. In 1860, Anglo-French allied forces burned in down. It was rebuilt in 1888 by Empress Cixi (approximate pronunciation is suh see). In 1900, it was burned again by the Eight-Power Allied Force.

The photo to the left is The Tower of Buddhist Incense. It is a central building in the area and contains a Buddha statue called The Buddha with One Thousand Hands and Eyes. Empress Cixi burned incense on the 1st and 15th days of each month.

We walked the 728 meter (796 feet) Long Corridor, which according to Guinness is the world record. Four pavilions are interspersed throughout and symbolize the four seasons starting with spring and ending with winter at the Marble Boat. Our guide said that the corridor contains over 8000 paintings (landscape scenes, animals and human figures), but one internet source I found estimated the number of paintings to be as high as 14,000.

Our tour of Hutong (Old Beijing) was on bicycle rickshaws. We wound in and out of the narrow alleyways and got a taste of what it’s like to live there. It was actually quiet as we were away from the hustle and bustle of buses and cars. After a fantastic lunch at the Sichuan Restaurant we met with a lady named Mrs. Luo who opened her home to us and gave a tour of the quadrangle that she and two other families shared.

The 60 square meter (640 sq. feet) house had been passed down for six generations (200 years) through her husband’s family. We had a long chat with her and were able to ask her anything. The Hutong area is protected now and high rise apartment buildings cannot be built here. After we left Mrs. Luo, we walked the streets to look at the shops and just watch the busy activity of this rich culture.

The people I encountered in Beijing have been simply wonderful. They are incredibly curious, open, friendly, genuine and possess a great sense of humor. They enjoy talking to us and try to speak as much English as they can. We tried, but not very well, to speak as much Chinese as we could.

I had a good laugh today while at the Summer Palace. Two young, male college students approached me and pointed at their camera. I immediately thought they wanted me to take their picture for them as I was carrying lots of camera equipment. I was wrong. They wanted me to be in a photo with each of them. I was the novelty here! They wanted to show their friends that they had meet an American. I found it quite funny. We figured everything out despite a heavy language barrier. They could say hello in English and I could say hello in Chinese. That’s about it. The rest of our communication was done in hand motions.

Tomorrow we will attempt a quick tour of the Beijing Zoo. I’m hoping to see pandas! We will also go to the Beijing Capitol Museum which was closed on Monday.

Have a great day!

Michael