Cambodian Day Markets from Matthew Arata on Vimeo.
Thursday, February 17, 2011
Sunday, January 30, 2011
Video from the trip
Here is the full 25 minute video we showed at the final dinner. It will be available for download for at least the next 60 days or so. After that, if you want the original files, please email me.
SEA Trip 2011 from Matthew Arata on Vimeo.
Thursday, January 13, 2011
Last full day in BKK
While a large group of us left Bangkok yesterday to go down to Phuket (beach resort area in Southern Thailand) some of us choose to extend our stay in Bangkok. My roommate from freshmen year of undergrad is from Thailand, so before I came here I asked him what I should do in Bangkok. Among other things he suggested that I go see a Mauy Thai (kickboxing style) fight. WOW was last night a fun time. 5 of us (Steve, Brian, Esteban (other Steve), Kyle and I) all got ringside seats at Rajadamern Stadium for the evening and and it was truly an immersive experience. While we probably would have preferred to sit with the locals up in the cheap seats (behind fencing...) it was just as fun to be ringside.
Prior to the fight, Esteban, Kyle and I ate some street food from a few different vendors on our walk from Chinatown to the stadium. Mostly bbq chicken skewers. Then we had an actual "sit-down" meal prepared by a lady at a small eating area right next to the stadium. This was a local as you could get. The food was a spicy chicken curry and noodle dish. And the rats were scurrying by under the table where she was preparing the food....sooooo... hopefully I won't die before I make it back from Chicago.
Mauy Thai has a lot of ceremony involved in the pre-bout, both fighters pray before the match and move around the ring in a carefully choreographed routine. During the match there are 2 musicians who are playing traditional music while they watch what is happening in the match. As the fight gets more intense, so does the music. The crowd is very involved in just about every match, and there is a lot of gambling going on. Imagine the scene of a stock trading floor with hundreds of people placing and taking bets with each other and at the same time screaming at the fighters/coaches and with each other. Just amazing.
One somewhat shocking aspect of the whole thing is the age of some of the fighters. At least on the night we were there, most of the fights were between young men who looked to be teenagers, some very young maybe 12-13? At least the main bout for the night featured two 20-something fighters.
I would recommend seeing a match at either of the stadiums in Bangkok to anyone that wants a truly immersive experience.
Prior to the fight, Esteban, Kyle and I ate some street food from a few different vendors on our walk from Chinatown to the stadium. Mostly bbq chicken skewers. Then we had an actual "sit-down" meal prepared by a lady at a small eating area right next to the stadium. This was a local as you could get. The food was a spicy chicken curry and noodle dish. And the rats were scurrying by under the table where she was preparing the food....sooooo... hopefully I won't die before I make it back from Chicago.
Mauy Thai has a lot of ceremony involved in the pre-bout, both fighters pray before the match and move around the ring in a carefully choreographed routine. During the match there are 2 musicians who are playing traditional music while they watch what is happening in the match. As the fight gets more intense, so does the music. The crowd is very involved in just about every match, and there is a lot of gambling going on. Imagine the scene of a stock trading floor with hundreds of people placing and taking bets with each other and at the same time screaming at the fighters/coaches and with each other. Just amazing.
One somewhat shocking aspect of the whole thing is the age of some of the fighters. At least on the night we were there, most of the fights were between young men who looked to be teenagers, some very young maybe 12-13? At least the main bout for the night featured two 20-something fighters.
I would recommend seeing a match at either of the stadiums in Bangkok to anyone that wants a truly immersive experience.
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
Monday, January 10, 2011
Differences between Vietnam and Cambodia
First of all, Siem Reap is much smaller and more quiet than Saigon. I would describe the town as a beach community, without the beach. Only a large very polluted lake. The Cambodian people are also different. The biggest difference shows when you first begin interacting with them, they are always smiling. ALWAYS! Without fail, you will see a smile on just about every Cambodian face.
The day market in Siem Reap is much more locally oriented. They sell staple products like rice, vegetables, soaps and detergents, basic clothing, etc... And they don't try to hassle you as you walk through, probably because they know the tourists aren't going to be buying rice in bulk.
Siem Reap is dominated by tourism and the temples. The temples are why you go to Siem Reap - there is virtually nothing else to do. There is the floating village, but I can't imagine that a lot of tourists actually make it out there.
The day market in Siem Reap is much more locally oriented. They sell staple products like rice, vegetables, soaps and detergents, basic clothing, etc... And they don't try to hassle you as you walk through, probably because they know the tourists aren't going to be buying rice in bulk.
Siem Reap is dominated by tourism and the temples. The temples are why you go to Siem Reap - there is virtually nothing else to do. There is the floating village, but I can't imagine that a lot of tourists actually make it out there.
Sunday, January 9, 2011
Friday, January 7, 2011
Welcome to Maxims!!!!!!!!!!!!
As stated in the class syllabus, some of the requirements for this trip were to become immersed and engaged within Southeast Asian business practices. What better way to become immersed and engaged than over a friendly round of Karaoke with former Vietnamese students of Professor Shultz at a local establishment called Maxims? Although yours truly and Kelly scored the highest score among the group because of our duet effort, the Vietnamese were extremely talented in the art of Karaoke and definitely stole the show. They often times sung American songs better than any of the MBA’s from Loyola could.
The real singing wasn’t able to take place until about 45 minutes after we arrived to the business establishment that offered Karaoke. When we got to the Karaoke room the workers couldn’t figure out how to get the system to work. We started with an American song CD, then went to a Vietnamese song CD and finally were able to put in a CD that had both Vietnamese and American songs. What an ordeal.
After a good hour of rocking the mike, the Vietnamese decided to head for home. Once we lost the most talented core of our group we figured that the night was almost over. Yes, the night was almost over until out of nowhere Ben and Rob restarted the party with the best version of Gangstas Paradise many of us have ever heard. Even 2Pac would have been impressed.
After the butchering of Gangstas Paradise the night was definitely finished. We left Maxims and walked back to the Majestic while enjoying the amazing night filled with sounds of horns and screeching tires from the thousands of motorbikes on the streets.
As stated in the class syllabus, some of the requirements for this trip were to become immersed and engaged within Southeast Asian business practices. What better way to become immersed and engaged than over a friendly round of Karaoke with former Vietnamese students of Professor Shultz at a local establishment called Maxims? Although yours truly and Kelly scored the highest score among the group because of our duet effort, the Vietnamese were extremely talented in the art of Karaoke and definitely stole the show. They often times sung American songs better than any of the MBA’s from Loyola could.
The real singing wasn’t able to take place until about 45 minutes after we arrived to the business establishment that offered Karaoke. When we got to the Karaoke room the workers couldn’t figure out how to get the system to work. We started with an American song CD, then went to a Vietnamese song CD and finally were able to put in a CD that had both Vietnamese and American songs. What an ordeal.
After a good hour of rocking the mike, the Vietnamese decided to head for home. Once we lost the most talented core of our group we figured that the night was almost over. Yes, the night was almost over until out of nowhere Ben and Rob restarted the party with the best version of Gangstas Paradise many of us have ever heard. Even 2Pac would have been impressed.
After the butchering of Gangstas Paradise the night was definitely finished. We left Maxims and walked back to the Majestic while enjoying the amazing night filled with sounds of horns and screeching tires from the thousands of motorbikes on the streets.
Thursday, January 6, 2011
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
SMS Marketing in Vietnam
Live update from meetings with Indochina Capital's VP of Investor Relations and Managing Director of Mai Asia, an international brand development firm. *please excuse typos*
Text messaging (SMS mobile advertising) in Vietnam is a more effective strategy than email marketing for engaging consumers. Why? "Vietnamese people are more phone-friendly than email (on computers), explained Pham Bao Hien, VP of Investor Relations for Indochina Capital.
Mobile phones are more widely available and affordable than other forms of modern communication, like desktop computers/laptops or land-lines, which most Americans take for granted. Marketers and advertisers have taken note and adopted regionally appropriate strategies.
Berthold Heinmann, Managing Director of Mai Asia, an international advertising agency based in Hong Kong, explained that while SMS advertising is the most effective method for brand advertisers to reach Vietamese consumers, there are drawbacks.
"It's not untypical for consumers to receive SMS marketing messages every 20 min on your phone...and the carriers don't listen to complaints. The only solution is to change phone numbers with a new pre-paid card."
Heineman continued explaining the drawbacks, "Especially for Vietnamese, who travel abroad putting their cell into roaming mode, Vietamese advertisers will coninue to ping their mobile phones with text messages, and there is no way to block these messages from coming. Travelers get hit with LOTS of roaming charges due to SMS."
Text messaging (SMS mobile advertising) in Vietnam is a more effective strategy than email marketing for engaging consumers. Why? "Vietnamese people are more phone-friendly than email (on computers), explained Pham Bao Hien, VP of Investor Relations for Indochina Capital.
Mobile phones are more widely available and affordable than other forms of modern communication, like desktop computers/laptops or land-lines, which most Americans take for granted. Marketers and advertisers have taken note and adopted regionally appropriate strategies.
Berthold Heinmann, Managing Director of Mai Asia, an international advertising agency based in Hong Kong, explained that while SMS advertising is the most effective method for brand advertisers to reach Vietamese consumers, there are drawbacks.
"It's not untypical for consumers to receive SMS marketing messages every 20 min on your phone...and the carriers don't listen to complaints. The only solution is to change phone numbers with a new pre-paid card."
Heineman continued explaining the drawbacks, "Especially for Vietnamese, who travel abroad putting their cell into roaming mode, Vietamese advertisers will coninue to ping their mobile phones with text messages, and there is no way to block these messages from coming. Travelers get hit with LOTS of roaming charges due to SMS."
The Friends We Meet, The Lives We Touch
BEST TRAVEL ESSAY EVER
*Reprinted by permission from Michael Kraabel
My travels have taken me far from home; across oceans, continents, mountain ranges and to distant lands. I am the outsider in these voyages. I leave my friends, family and love interests behind in my quest to find something inspirational, the precious diamond and experience that as a child I could only read about. I come from a generation of fortunate youth that have had access to an open world -- without limits on movement or aspirations.
These journeys take us collectively to all ends of the earth. We are a nomadic tribe of lost souls wandering around, seeking comfort, companionship and experiences. We study cultures, religion, architecture, ancient civilizations. We pack only our minimal necessities and open ourselves to what might come our way. We shun pre-packaged tours and scoff at the thought of an all-inclusive resort. We are indignant at times when people call us tourists. We have an ego about our way of life and in an arrogant way we carry our superiority complex as a badge of honor.
Yet we flock together in local pubs, cafes, pizza shops and a variety of other establishments aimed at helping us pass time. It is in these places that we congregate to share our stories, buy each other drinks and confirm our communal existence. There is no secret handshake to this club, there are no passwords, only the willingness to open up with complete strangers and become family – if only for a few hours.
I have met myriad of characters, each with their own narratives and their own histories. I mentally catalog their stories, their experiences and their thoughts. They weave an intricate tapestry of life. But with every story there is a hidden sub-text that helps to explain the person. Everyone has their own reason for leaving home, whether it was trouble or simply the pursuit to conquer the banality of everyday existence. They are students, hippies, drug dealers, tequila smugglers, corporate employees, scorn lovers, writers, photographers, poets, musicians and lost souls. Their trips last from one week to a lifetime.
It is not uncommon to find these long-term vagabonds setting up bookstores, shops, galleries and bars to continue to fund their lifestyle. And in return, they help feed the passion of others like them. They provide us with a safe haven to gather and pass information from one person to the next. It is a traveler’s credo that we must help each other out, from sharing a taxi to taking care of someone with food poisoning. I have been with people fearing for their lives and people who, after a long and torturous relationship, are just starting to feel life.
Sometimes the Swedes gather with Swedes, the Germans with Germans, the Israelis with Israelis. For some strange reason there are few Americans. For the most part, however, these stopping points are a melting pot of cultures from about the world. The tribe speaks English, listens to Bob Marley, drinks local beer and enjoys watching bootleg western movies late at night over a fruit shake. Some shower twice a day, others shower when they feel like it. Some take this opportunity to grow beards, shun shaving their legs and dress in a relaxed bohemian style.
There are the early-twenties gap year kids who drink heavily and do as many drugs as they can find. They smoke weed, buy bootleg CDs and enjoy living off their frustrated parents. They change clothes into something that’s just barely cleaner than the stuff they wore the day before. They ignore local cultures, live as cheaply as possible and are always looking for a way to extend their holiday and put off the inevitable growing up.
There is another group of people from their mid-twenties to mid-thirties that appreciate local culture. There are corporate drop-outs, expatriates, aspiring artists and dreamers. They have experienced structured life and find that it doesn’t provide them the solace they thought it would. They travel to discover new worlds rather than out-of-body experiences. There are still a few stragglers in this group that haven’t found their place in life yet, they’ll try opium, learn the local language, smoke heavily, hike to remote tribes and take every form of transportation imaginable. They travel alone rather than in the young flocks. They meet up with each other and follow the trail together for a few days at a time, only to depart and meet up with someone new.
There are the couples who travel together, only to return home to discover they have nothing in common. Some get married and continue to travel for life, putting off children for as long as they can. There are people that meet up and travel together in a singles lifestyle that encourages men and women to join together to travel as friends. I have been blessed to meet both men and women that I consider brothers and sisters. Our will to be with others is not sexual; it is simply the quest for companionship and someone to share our experiences with. This is hard to explain to people who have not traveled this way. This is not a Vegas or Cancun experience. It’s something on a higher level.
We leave behind preconceptions about who we are and what others appear to be. I could be a poor backpacker living on my last dime, or an executive at a top agency and it wouldn’t make much of a difference to those around me. We are who we are and the sum off all of our experiences.
This story is not finished, nor do I think it ever will be. There are always going to be people that come in go in our lives. Travellers will continue to wander the globe, sharing information and telling tales. It is during those brief moments in our lives where our lives connect with one another that time seems to stop.
Posted by kraabel at May 23, 2006 1:21 PM
http://www.unrealtravels.com/archives/2006/05/the-friends-we.php
© Unreal Travels (2002-2004). All rights reserved.
*Reprinted by permission from Michael Kraabel
My travels have taken me far from home; across oceans, continents, mountain ranges and to distant lands. I am the outsider in these voyages. I leave my friends, family and love interests behind in my quest to find something inspirational, the precious diamond and experience that as a child I could only read about. I come from a generation of fortunate youth that have had access to an open world -- without limits on movement or aspirations.
These journeys take us collectively to all ends of the earth. We are a nomadic tribe of lost souls wandering around, seeking comfort, companionship and experiences. We study cultures, religion, architecture, ancient civilizations. We pack only our minimal necessities and open ourselves to what might come our way. We shun pre-packaged tours and scoff at the thought of an all-inclusive resort. We are indignant at times when people call us tourists. We have an ego about our way of life and in an arrogant way we carry our superiority complex as a badge of honor.
Yet we flock together in local pubs, cafes, pizza shops and a variety of other establishments aimed at helping us pass time. It is in these places that we congregate to share our stories, buy each other drinks and confirm our communal existence. There is no secret handshake to this club, there are no passwords, only the willingness to open up with complete strangers and become family – if only for a few hours.
I have met myriad of characters, each with their own narratives and their own histories. I mentally catalog their stories, their experiences and their thoughts. They weave an intricate tapestry of life. But with every story there is a hidden sub-text that helps to explain the person. Everyone has their own reason for leaving home, whether it was trouble or simply the pursuit to conquer the banality of everyday existence. They are students, hippies, drug dealers, tequila smugglers, corporate employees, scorn lovers, writers, photographers, poets, musicians and lost souls. Their trips last from one week to a lifetime.
It is not uncommon to find these long-term vagabonds setting up bookstores, shops, galleries and bars to continue to fund their lifestyle. And in return, they help feed the passion of others like them. They provide us with a safe haven to gather and pass information from one person to the next. It is a traveler’s credo that we must help each other out, from sharing a taxi to taking care of someone with food poisoning. I have been with people fearing for their lives and people who, after a long and torturous relationship, are just starting to feel life.
Sometimes the Swedes gather with Swedes, the Germans with Germans, the Israelis with Israelis. For some strange reason there are few Americans. For the most part, however, these stopping points are a melting pot of cultures from about the world. The tribe speaks English, listens to Bob Marley, drinks local beer and enjoys watching bootleg western movies late at night over a fruit shake. Some shower twice a day, others shower when they feel like it. Some take this opportunity to grow beards, shun shaving their legs and dress in a relaxed bohemian style.
There are the early-twenties gap year kids who drink heavily and do as many drugs as they can find. They smoke weed, buy bootleg CDs and enjoy living off their frustrated parents. They change clothes into something that’s just barely cleaner than the stuff they wore the day before. They ignore local cultures, live as cheaply as possible and are always looking for a way to extend their holiday and put off the inevitable growing up.
There is another group of people from their mid-twenties to mid-thirties that appreciate local culture. There are corporate drop-outs, expatriates, aspiring artists and dreamers. They have experienced structured life and find that it doesn’t provide them the solace they thought it would. They travel to discover new worlds rather than out-of-body experiences. There are still a few stragglers in this group that haven’t found their place in life yet, they’ll try opium, learn the local language, smoke heavily, hike to remote tribes and take every form of transportation imaginable. They travel alone rather than in the young flocks. They meet up with each other and follow the trail together for a few days at a time, only to depart and meet up with someone new.
There are the couples who travel together, only to return home to discover they have nothing in common. Some get married and continue to travel for life, putting off children for as long as they can. There are people that meet up and travel together in a singles lifestyle that encourages men and women to join together to travel as friends. I have been blessed to meet both men and women that I consider brothers and sisters. Our will to be with others is not sexual; it is simply the quest for companionship and someone to share our experiences with. This is hard to explain to people who have not traveled this way. This is not a Vegas or Cancun experience. It’s something on a higher level.
We leave behind preconceptions about who we are and what others appear to be. I could be a poor backpacker living on my last dime, or an executive at a top agency and it wouldn’t make much of a difference to those around me. We are who we are and the sum off all of our experiences.
This story is not finished, nor do I think it ever will be. There are always going to be people that come in go in our lives. Travellers will continue to wander the globe, sharing information and telling tales. It is during those brief moments in our lives where our lives connect with one another that time seems to stop.
Posted by kraabel at May 23, 2006 1:21 PM
http://www.unrealtravels.com/archives/2006/05/the-friends-we.php
© Unreal Travels (2002-2004). All rights reserved.
Saigon Cosmetics and Dodging Motorcycles
This morning we spent visiting Saigon Cosmetics, listening to their chief marketing director, as well as our own group from Loyola give presentations regarding the company and possible future marketing plans. The most interesting aspect of the visit for me was imagining the possibilities that this company could undertake in the future. From my perspective, it is a very small operation. But they have they drive and ambition to be a major player in the cosmetics world in the near future. They have the space, the knowledge, the people, and just about everything else needed to make strong inroads into additional markets as well as the Vietnamese market.
While touring the manufacturing facility, I took particular note of their quality operations. Brian Murphy was talking with one of the staff about their inspection and testing processes which were very interesting. Ben Ruf and I noticed the problems they were having with their soap extrusion process and pondered possible solutions.
Ok - enough of that. On to the motorcycle dodging. Here is a video of Steve and Kyle trying to get good footage of the madness that is the motorcycle traffic here in Saigon.
While touring the manufacturing facility, I took particular note of their quality operations. Brian Murphy was talking with one of the staff about their inspection and testing processes which were very interesting. Ben Ruf and I noticed the problems they were having with their soap extrusion process and pondered possible solutions.
Ok - enough of that. On to the motorcycle dodging. Here is a video of Steve and Kyle trying to get good footage of the madness that is the motorcycle traffic here in Saigon.
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
Majestic Rooftop Reception & Vietnamese Karaoke
Wow, there is so much to say .... I'll start with last night and work backwards. Our class officially started yesterday, and last night was our first night out as a group. All 24 MBA students, our esteemed professor Dr. Shultz and his former students from the Harvard Fulbright Center gathered together for a welcome reception on the rooftop of our hotel, The Majestic, in Ho Chi Minh City. The outdoor setting overlooking the Saigon River with a twilight view of the city was amazing. I found it fascinating talking with former students of Dr. Shultz and learning about their passion for entrepreneurship and building a better community in Ho Chi Minh, as well as throughout Vietnam.
To give you, our friends and family, a little perspective on the genius that is our Loyola professor, Clifford J. Shultz II, Ph.D., he has been teaching and consulting on Southeast Asia's socio-economic development and consumer behavior marketing practices for over 20 years. He pioneered this study abroad immersion at Columbia University in New York and has lectured at numerous worldwide conferences and universities including Arizona State University, and most recently, Dr. Shultz was recruited to join Loyola University Chicago's business faculty as a professor and Kellstadt Chair for the MBA program and undergraduate curriculum. In addition to being a smart academic and expert on the region, Dr. Shultz is also great karaoke singer. We found that out last night. Tell him that you heard it from the "Winter Quarter 2011 group," that his song is "Surfing USA" by the Beach Boys.
A special thanks goes out to our new friends from the Harvard Vietnam Fulbright Center who introduced us Loyola kids to Vietnamese karaoke last night. I'll let my other classmates catch you up on that experience. It was a fun night for all and in tandem with the rooftop reception really set the tone for the first night together.
Today in a couple of minutes, we are departing for a consulting meeting at Saigon Cosmetics and an afternoon meeting at Intel. Four of our classmates are making a business presentation to executives from Saigon Cosmetics.
Requirements to Live in Saigon
As we toured around Saigon (Ho Chi Min City - is far too long to type) today in our lumbering tour-bus, I noticed a few things. First - to get around this city, it is a requirement that you drive a scooter/motorcycle. Second, while driving your motorcycle, you probably will want to wear some sort of surgical mask or bandanna to cover your nose and mouth to prevent ingesting too much dirty air. Next you must ignore the fact that you wear the mask when you are riding your motorcycle to prevent ingesting the dirty air, and smoke as many cigarettes as possible, occasionally while wearing the mask and riding the motorcycle. If you have to go to the bathroom, no problem, you can stop pretty much anywhere and urinate on a tree or fence or wall or something, then get back on your morotcycle and speed away. Well, not really speed away, lumber away at a blistering pace of 40kmh - the standard speed limit which seems to be heavily enforced. Hungry? Stop by any one of a thousand places serving Pho, eat on the sidewalk, and leave your dish on the curb. Someone will pick it up eventually...
Monday, January 3, 2011
First Impressions
Although the official trip to SEA has not started, a few of us (Kyle, Mark, Michelle and Mark L.) met in Hanoi. The details of the trip will be funny and amazing and I will let some of the other people that shared the flight with me to give some of the details also.(steven)
We were all excited to get to SEA and were assuming the flights would be boring, dull and repetitive. Little did we know that every flight we would get on, some of our seats would be stolen by non-English speaking individuals. From this point on, we knew this trip would go down as a trip we would all never forget. (Kyle)
Once in Hanoi, the first impression there was a sense of disorganization and chaos, but as time went on the chaos turns into a way of life and into the rules of engagement. The people were coming from every direction, left, right, diagonal, behind and in front of you, which apparently meant that you must have an owl’s ability to see 360 degrees. As we got acclimated to the environment, we quickly learned that people around you do just that, go around you. So the perfect formula for not getting run over by 50+ motorcycles and cars is to be predictable. What we all found extremely impressive is the fact that even though there is no rhyme or rhythm to the traffic, there really aren’t traffic jams. The only traffic jams we experienced were because of the three traffic lights that Hanoi a city of seven million (Proved) had. It may seem obvious at first, but when you are staring up a street full of cars and motorbikes zooming past you the first thing you want to do is speed up or slowdown, which is not a good idea. The best way to make it across is to be assertive of your moves. If you hesitate, you will lose the right of way, which means that you will not be able to continue walking, which means that you are not being predictable, and also means that you are going to get run over! In other words, just start walking and keep walking at the same pace. As I (Kyle) was walking across one of the roads I only was looking left and happened to notice a motorbike flying towards me so I stopped. Little did I know that to my right another motorbike had to slam on his brakes because I stopped and came within two inches of knocking me back to America. I quickly learned that the best way to complete the daunting task of walking across the street is to literally close your eyes and walk forward. I now know what it feels like to be the frog in frogger.
The markets are fantastic; people are friendly and make for interesting conversations (although nobody really knew what the other person was saying). As we tried to ask for things in Vietnamese they would look at us and try to respond in English; then we changed to English and they switch to Vietnamese. When things get really confusing the Vietnamese shop/restaurant owners usually just order for you which happened to us when we were looking for street food. As the group was walking down the street we decided to grab some street food, smart right? During our adventure to find street food we somehow ended up getting yelled at too sit down at a table with toddler seats and next thing we knew there was food in front of us. Too sum up the experience, as we were eating I (Kyle) looked down and noticed a dog eating food off the ground next to me. This is important because the day before our tour guide told us quote, “We have to chain up our dog every night because we are afraid our neighbors will eat him”. As soon as I pointed the dog out to the rest of the group they quickly set their reusable chopsticks down. It was interesting, fun, frustrating, and disorienting, but we all had a good laugh and went on to the next stop. There is so much to write about, but so little time to do so. When you are here you want to take advantage of every second you have in order to make the most of time. As an example, I (steven) got up at 5 am (woke up Kyle who later fell asleep again) to read emails, download pictures from my camera to my computer and reviewed them, and started writing this.
Today we will explore some of Ho-Chi-Minh City and will update you on more details. I am sure we will be comparing the two cities within Vietnam to see what the major differences are. Keep posted and you will learn about Vietnam through us.
Chao!
Saturday, January 1, 2011
Communism Does Not Like Facebook
Life is full of surprises! This morning I learned that the Socialist Republic of Vietnam does not allow access to Facebook. Well, that's a game-changer in terms of our strategy for staying connected with friends, family, colleagues and the Loyola community back home. Rest assured, that's what backup plans are for, and fortunately we planned ahead.
While we are in Vietnam (through January 8th), we'll be updating pictures and posts from Twitter.com/MBAsGoneDong and this main site MBAsGoneDong.com. Regardless, you can use these sites to follow our adventures throughout all our trip (Jan 1-16, 2011). We had planned on leveraging Facebook in conjunction with other social bookmarks for ease of communication. Meantime, just follow us through MBAsGoneDong.com or Twitter, and we will let you know when our Facebook fan page/group is green-lighted for action.
While we are in Vietnam (through January 8th), we'll be updating pictures and posts from Twitter.com/MBAsGoneDong and this main site MBAsGoneDong.com. Regardless, you can use these sites to follow our adventures throughout all our trip (Jan 1-16, 2011). We had planned on leveraging Facebook in conjunction with other social bookmarks for ease of communication. Meantime, just follow us through MBAsGoneDong.com or Twitter, and we will let you know when our Facebook fan page/group is green-lighted for action.
Good Morning Vietnam
Jetlagged and awake @ 6:40am local time. Waking up after my first overnight in Vietnam.
A lot of friends back home asked me what it would be like to fly overseas and to cross the international dateline, while Chicago celebrated New Year's Eve. I am disappointed to say that United Airlines didn't say a peep to mark the stroke of Midnight anywhere in the world during our flight. Whereas other airlines flying to Saigon passed out beers and did a countdown over the intercom. No thanks to United Airlines -- I probably slept through the moment it became 2011.
After taking different outbound flights from Chicago, my roommate, Allison Perkins (she was on the "fun airline") and I met up in the lobby of the Bong Sen Hotel Saigon. We threw our bags down once inside our room, and immediately walked outside to explore the few block radius surrounding our hotel. A few necessities were on our minds ... picking up bottled water to brush our teeth and to have in the room, as well as, finding an ATM to convert American Dollars to the local currency (Dong). First things first though, we wandered into the Sheraton Saigon http://bit.ly/ZoWRP for a celebratory cocktail.
The lounge on the 23rd floor of the Sheraton featured a live band playing American music. If you're a people-watcher like me, then you would have loved the hilarity of witnessing an odd assortment of middle-aged white men with bad comb-over haircuts wearing 80's Wrangler jeans and grinding on the dance floor with young Asian ladies, while you are perched above sipping a champagne cocktail, toasting the start of 2011 and our arrival into Vietnam. I snapped a picture of the scene and was then told photography was not permitted. :(
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)