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Since the crazy flight into Paris things have gone extremely well. Saturday, after Peter and Joyce (his wife) arrived, we ate dinner at a wonderful Lebanese restaurant a few blocks from the Arc de Triumph. Falafel, hummus, and other other beautiful Mediterranean dishes topped off with delicious Lebanese sweets from their pastry shop next door. We walked down the street, stood at the River Seine, and enjoyed our baklava and nougat while watching the Eiffel Tower flash its 20,000 lights as it once an hour in the evenings.

Much of my time the next couple of days was spent giving our computers tune-up so I didn’t get to bed until 4:00 am Monday night. It’s sort of put a damper on my evenings since I’m still exhausted but the sun doesn’t got down until 10:00 pm so I have to take advantage of it.

One of the many beauties of Paris is the easy pedestrian access. Large parks, sidewalk cafes, shopping, architecture, art galleries - you name it, you can do it, and easily get there. Tuesday, I took a walk to unwind and passed many artistic sculptures, buildings, fountains and then came to a clearing with the Eiffel tower and Arc de Triomphe both in view. Everything here, new and old, catches your eye.

Yesterday, after work, the three of us took a walk through the courtyards of the Louvre and the Jardin des Tuileries - another spectacular park which, if you keep walking, leads directly into the Champs Elysees and through the Arc de Triomphe.

Tonight, we enjoyed dinner at a tiny vegetarian restaurant with one long table - booth style setup on one wall, one single row of small tables, and then a span of chairs on the other side. The tables were completely flush against each other so you actually had to pull out the table to sit on the booth side. Interesting experience but cozy and a great treat.

Tomorrow’s the last day of the event and I hope to head to the Louvre in the evening. More info and pictures to come!

I arrived safely in Paris (my second time here) this morning after a not so restful flight. The economy class exit row seat had extra legroom but people still insisted on bumping my arms, chair, and stuffing their pillow between me and my armrest (what’s that all about?). Not to mention the icicles forming on my nose. So, the first thing I did after arriving at the hotel was take a nap.

I’m always baffled by the simple things that could make the experience so much better on flights. I know the seat recline is always an issue but I’m interested in other things. For example, I typically try to sleep during a flight in accordance with the time at my destination (if it’s bedtime I try to sleep). It helps my internal clock adjust sooner so there is less jet-lag upon arrival.

So why do people insist on elbowing you; flight attendants smashing their carts into your seat; announcements blaring over the speaker; the air-conditioning blowing at freezing temperatures (when it’s already well below freezing outside the plane); the idiot behind you slamming their tray table down so your seat bounces; the person (flight attendants included) using your seat as leverage and then launching you to a startling alertness?

As much as I’d love to change people… it’s not going to happen. Which takes me to the topic I’m really leading into - design and user experience. These concepts are something I’m always looking into whether it’s designing a web application or taking a plane ride.

Much, if not all, of my experiences could be helped by changing the design of the plane. Have a temperature setting for flight attendants that says “comfortable (25 C)” and it constantly monitors the cabin temperature and adjusts accordingly (this happens in your home, right?); make the bottom railing of the chair sit out an extra inch into the isle so that when the cart hits it instead of the arm of the chair; have the arms of the trays connected to your chair in a way that doesn’t distribute its movement directly into your head. I’m sure there are many simple and creative design changes that could make the experience better for the passenger as well as the flight crew (and hopefully giving some of them an attitude adjustment).

If only I knew someone with influence in this area… Grandpa!

I arrived home Sunday morning from my first around-the-world trip. It consisted of U.S. -> Dubai, United Arab Emirates -> Islamabad, Pakistan -> Guangzhou, China -> U.S. - not including the many layovers in other countries.

Rumor about Guangzhou was that it’s mostly industrial and not very beautiful. We must have done it right then because we saw a gorgeous part. The last day before our flight home I blindly lead my colleague on a tour of Yuexiu Park. It’s 868,000 square meters of park and consists of a massive collection of trees, plants, water, flowers, bamboo, sculptures, an art gallery, amusement park, dance area, lawn bowling and anything else you might want to enjoy outdoors. Entry into the park cost 5 RMB which is about $0.63 USD. We spent a few hours and could have spent a few more but needed to get back to prepare for our departure.

When I’m traveling I tend to notice funny (at least in my mind) circumstances, such as my plate of food one night at the hotel buffet. My American style fries and ketchup were sitting right next to my dragon fruit and rice. Where else can you do that?

Four evenings during my stay I went for a massage at the hotel spa. How can you pass up an hour massage when it only costs $12.50 USD? That ought to give a clear perspective on the labor costs in China. I sure got spoiled.

Another note about my stay in Guangzhou was the language barrier. Typically, the staff in these hotels speak quite good english. However, this time only the upper level management and a few people could speak fluently. And forget about the stationary shop across the street. The rest of the staff knew typical greetings but that was all. Guess I need to brush up on my Mandarin… no, wait, Cantonese… but only for Hong Kong or Guangzhou? But Mandarin everywhere else? Geez…

First, I know the family worried about my safety in Pakistan. I never felt threatened or unsafe the entire time. Pakistani’s are extremely hospitable and love having guests. This hospitality can get them in trouble at times too. As my friend put it, if Osama bin Laden is in Pakistan then they will not give him up because he is their guest. Also, if I am in Pakistan and Afghanistan says they want me the Pakistani’s would not give me up. This idea seems quite ingrained in their culture and it’s lovely to experience their warmth.

As in many religions and cultures there are extremists. The Muslims I talked with in Pakistan don’t consider al-Qaida to be Muslim at all. They don’t believe in killing humans and don’t believe in groups like this who only act out of selfishness. In fact, my new friends would all like to visit the United States. Narrow-minded Americans still negatively label entire groups and religions so I wanted to bring you this news from Pakistan soil direct from a Pakistani’s mouth. Just so you know, Islam isn’t evil - people are.

I wasn’t supposed to leave the hotel so most of my extra time was spent in a downstairs rug shop talking with the 2 men who ran it. For hours we would drink green tea and discuss life, family, relationships, religion, politics, rugs and just about anything else you can think of. These types of experiences on my trips are the most fulfilling.

Ok, don’t tell my colleagues, but I snuck out for a short car ride. I ended up buying two rugs from my friends and got some cash from an ATM to help save them credit card fees. I figured it would be my only chance to see a bit of the city. Some government buildings and regular shops lined the long road we drove. I’m told that the beautiful areas of Pakistan lie in the north with the more simple living people. Hopefully, one day I can take the time to visit.

Just a quick note to let you know all is well in Guangzhou, China. We arrived safely from Pakistan on Saturday and have been working ever since. I’ll be uploading photos and posting on Pakistan in a day or two.

I’m off to work some more!

After a layover in the most inefficient airport in the world (Paris) we flew to my first Muslim country - the United Arab Emirates. The airport has the most duty free shopping in the world and is super modern… oh yeah, and it’s soon to be the “old airport.”

One day in Dubai on the way to Pakistan just to wet my appetite. I still can’t fathom having enough money to build 300 islands in the shape of the world - not to mention the other 2 palm island projects. Our driver took us around to a few hotels and the real estate office for the project. Talk about a realtors dream job.

Over 100 buildings going up at the same time in one area, so our driver tells us. That’s the story all over Dubai. They’re turning a desert into a metropolitan capital of commerce. The new tallest building in the world is underway. It’s odd to see gorgeous skyscrapers all around and no small buildings. They didn’t start small and build up - they went from sand to sky. Things are a bit dirty at the moment due to sand and construction but I hope to, Insha’Allah, go back in a year and see what it has become.

I bring you another post a bit after the trip (May 17 - 28).

Travel & Arrival
I had a smooth plane trip and a decent amount of sleep since Kelly was my pillow. Don’t think she slept much. We checked into The Beachside Hostel which wasn’t the most glamorous place I’ve stayed in but it got the job done.

Day 1 - Thursday - Honolulu
Bad breakfast, Pearl Harbor, Submarine, Battleship
Based on some high recommendations from the hostel workers we ventured out to get breakfast. The first seemed a bit run down and didn’t have the buffet that was promised. After waiting 20 minutes for our server and 45 minutes to be served cold and rubbery eggs and pancakes I was a little perturbed.

Our next stop was Pearl Harbor where we had a great experience. We saw the USS Arizona Memorial which is built on top of the water over the sunken USS Arizona Battleship. 1000+ soldiers are still trapped in the massive tomb. Pretty powerful to see and a very well done memorial. We also did tours of the functional, but out of commission I think, USS Bowfin submarine, and USS Missouri battleship.

On the way back we walked along the beach and saw part of a hula show. A perfect way to watch the sun set.

Day 2 - Friday - Off to Maui
First thing, we took off to the airport to catch a quick flight to Maui. We moved into our temporary place, a cottage belonging to a friend of a friend, as soon as we arrived. Next we picked up a friends car that we used during our trip. A little food, grocery shopping, then more food and it was off to bed.

Day 3 - Saturday - Lahaina
We took a pretty long drive to an area called Lahaina. It’s a beach area with some nicer touristy shops. We soaked up some sun and walked around a bit. They were having some sort of boat carving festival so the air smelled of sawdust. Dinner consisted of a brie cheese-apple-avocado crepe and nutella-banana crepe for dessert… yummy

Day 4 - Sunday - Kihei
We did the Kiehi area and beach for a lot of sun (oops). Dinner consisted of waiting an hour an a half in line outside Sansei Sushi to get the 1/2 off sushi special. Good sushi but not worth waiting that long in a line. I’m not amused in such situations - next time I’ll walk in during non-special hours and pay the extra. The night topped off with Da Vinci Code the movie which I quite enjoyed. I thought it was pretty true to the book.

Day 5 - Monday - Work
Monday was a work day. Kelly took off and left me to do my own thing. I did e-mails and some other business things I needed to get done. My personal chef fixed another wonderful dinner that evening and we watched a movie on the couch.

Day 6 - Tuesday - Waihe’e Valley Trail
Greeted by a sweet woman in a little shack, baby on hip, we’re offered bug-spray and pay to walk on the Waihe’e Valley Trail. It’s full of enormous plants, bamboo forests, hanging bridges, and ended with a man-modified waterfall. We jumped in and both agreed it was invigorating (freakin’ cold). On the way home we stopped by Avis to rent a car for the next day. Another dinner at Cafe de Amis where I had the exact same crepes - again they were fantastic. Before bed was Hero, a movie we watched curled up in bed.

Day 7 - Wednesday - Haleakala Crater
It’s a long and windy road to get 10,000 feet up to the top of Haleakala Crater - the main crater and center of Maui. We didn’t think our friends car would make it so that’s what the rental was for. It’s a gorgeous drive if you can stand the tourist slowing down every 15 seconds to look at the scenery below. We did a pretty strenuous walk into the crater - 1 hour down and about 2 hours straight up (seemed much longer). The colors are incredible - greens, oranges, reds, blacks, grays - everywhere you turn the earth is a different color and texture. Sometimes you thought you were looking at the landscape of Mars and other times as if we were in North Carolina on a dirt filled construction site. We drove back down through drizzly clouds, had some dinner and returned the car. Again we concluded the evening with a movie in bed.

Day 8 - Thursday - Road to Hana
The Road to Hana is one of the most spectacular things we did the entire trip. It’s about 45 miles from the official start of the windy (and I mean driving 10 miles per hour windy) portion to the town named Hana. The span of road has random places to stop where water falls, gorgeous shorelines, and bamboo forests are hidden. Fortunately, our guide book contained an extensive section describing where to stop and trails to walk (as in, stop 0.4 miles after mile marker 9 where you’ll see a bit of dirt and a phone pole).

Our first and most exciting adventure was the four falls of Na’ili’ili-Haele. We had to boulder hop, walk through slippery mud, and navigate large stretches of bamboo to get to the falls. The first 2 falls were quite easy to find and both spectacular. Fall three required us to use ropes to climb a slippery rock cliff to get a peak. Fall four is where we seemed to get off track. After another rope climb we noticed a path to the left leading straight up hill and to the right were lots of boulders in the water. Kelly wanted left and I wanted right but knowing that I should always listen to the woman we went left (if she’s wrong I can always say told you so). We climbed up and up using roots of plants to get footing. No waterfalls in sight at the top but the view was gorgeous. We decided to follow the cow and horse foot prints in the ankle-high mud in hopes of finding an easier way back to the car. Instead we were greeted with a cow quickly heading towards us and moo-ing loudly. Maybe the cow thought dinner was being severed or maybe it was saying “get off my turf.” In any case, I wasn’t brave enough to take time to find out which one it was. So, we sucked it up and headed back down the same steep slope. After standing in the water to wash off our feet and legs we headed back for the car.

Another short stop at the Lower Puohokamao falls and we were off to the Ke’anae Peninsula where we enjoyed locally made banana bread, fresh fruit smoothies, pineapple, and coconut. All of this was enjoyed under a coconut tree while watching the waves crash against the black volcanic rock a short distance away.

Next stop Wai’anapanapa State Park where we, literally, jumped in a frigid water hole inside a lava tube. A local legend says that Princess Wai’anapanapa hid from her evil husband in the caves, and was eventually found and murdered there. Every year seasonal red shrimp fill the cave turning the water red which is said to be her blood. A short walk to the Black Sand Beach were we took a quick nap and marveled at the bright green plants contrasting the dark black rock.

I drove us home and tried to make Kelly car-sick.

Day 9 - Friday - Sunset Cruise
Friday was Lahaina Beach day where we had powerful waves and beautiful white sands. That evening we took a sunset cruise on a sail boat. The captain, 2 deck hands, and about 25 crazy people with alcohol made for an interesting trip. The sunset was spectacular and a perfect way to finish up the trip.

Day 10 - Saturday - Saved a Goat
I woke up to a goat making the most horrendous noise and the Kelly screeching and running outside (couldn’t tell the two sounds apart). Next to the cottage is a goat farm and one of the goats got its head stuck in the fence. We both hopped the fence and did our best to free the goat but it wasn’t too happy. Fortunately, our neighbor brought us some wire cutters and the goat rejoined the other puzzled looking group.

Then it was off to the airport for my trip home. Kelly’s in HI and enjoying her extended stay!