Hong Kong -- Final Day

I'm at the airport with about an hour before I board the flight for home. Today was a good, but busy day. Lot's of meetings. Nothing too exciting.

I picked up the pants that I had made. I like them. Then I went and picked up Robyn's present that the shop owner had to order from another location.

Tonight just before I left for the airport I watched a laser light show over Hong Kong harbor. It was really cool. All the buildings light up and several shot lasers and spotlights into the night sky. They do it every night. It last about ten minutes.

So, I guess I'm a fan of Hong Kong. I'd like to come back again sometime. It is a fast paced city. Lots to do. Very interesting.

I'm glad to be headed home though. Of all the places I've been in the world, home is definitely my favorite. See you all soon.

Hong Kong Continued

Hi all. Today I presented to our conference (about 100 people) and had several smaller meetings. All went well. Then tonight we had a dinner that must have been 12 courses. Most were far beyond what I was comfortable with. So I kind of moved the food around, took a couple bites or conveniently got caught up in conversation and just happened to miss a portion of the food.


After dinner I did go take a look at some knock-off watches...just for a little Jack Bauer adrenaline rush.


It's now about 11 pm. I'm off to bed as soon as I finish this post. Tomorrow is an early breakfast meeting with consultants and analysts, several small group meetings and then our gala dinner (can't wait :-( After the dinner I head to the airport at 8:30 to catch my flight home. I land at midnight.


For my family who knows of my luck with celebrity sightings, Taylor Swift played Hong Kong tonight. I didn't see her, but figure she'll be on my plane tomorrow.


Here are some pictures that I hope you like. See you all soon!


Downtown Hong Kong is quite a bit like Times Square in New York.

So yesterday I wrote about how nice the Singapore Airlines business class seats are; well here is a picture of the advertisement for them. I wanted to take a picture in the plane, but then I'd look like a rookie :-)

I love this next picture. During dinner I'm struggling away with chop sticks and I turn to my right and the Chinese guy next to me is using a fork. I asked him about it and he said the younger generation never learned and aren't too good with chop sticks. "Fork is much easier."

I warned you about the food. You got it...that's a chick head alright. Yum!

Hong Kong -- February 2011

Can you believe I'm actually writing a blog post! So Hong Kong is a facinating place. I've enjoyed it much more than I thought. But before I tell you about Hong Kong, let me tell you about my trip over. Admittedly, this will bust the bubble that I slave through difficult times on these trips. Certainly not so this time.

I flew direct from San Fran to Hong Kong on Singapore Airlines. The trip was almost 15 hours, but I slept almost 8 of those hours. I flew business class. The seat makes into a completely flat bed! The food was great. The flight attendants are in traditional Asia long dresses. They I get picked up at the airport by a Mercedes. He drives me to the Sheraton. As we pull up, they open the car door and great me by name (oh yeah, when I left the airplane, the guy at the door said, "Thank you Mr. Staples"). I'm checked in. Arrive in the room and look out on a view of the harbor! I really has been a bit amazing!!!


Okay, I'll drop in some pics now. Yesterday was a fogy day up the mountain in a tram to see a huge Budah statue. It was cold, rainy, and cloudy, but still fun. Then dinner last night (not my favorite). Then today was church at a Chinese ward and later up to Victoria Peak which overlooks the city. Still cloudy, but nice.


Work actually gets going in about an hour as we kick off our conference. I love and miss you all.

This is me with Martin Foo. I met him at church. He has an amazing story that I'll have to tell you about.
This is the view from my hotel window.

This is inside of one of the Budahist shrines.

This is a view of Hong Kong from on top of Victoria Peak.

This is a group of us on Victoria Peak.

This is a house on Victoria Peak. You need serious bank for something like this!

Again, a shot from Victoria Peak.

This is the cable car you ride to get to Victoria Peak. Cost is about .60 cents. They have been running cable cars to the top since 1888.

This is a picture of a picture of the giant Budah. Look at a photo further down and you'll see the cloudy view we got.

This will give you an idea of how cloudy the ride up to the Budah was...

The gates into the area where the Budah is located.

I love this picture. These are people lighting incense near the Budah statue.

Near the monistary...pretty cool pic with the cloudy fog.

Here is our group at the foot of the Budah statue. Gives you a perspective of how big this is.

And the Budah that we got to see (kinda) through the clouds.

Boa Tarde

This trip has been a lot of work, but a lot of fun. Sorry, still no pictures (can't read my SD card). Yesterday we met with our existing partner, interviewed a marketing candidate, and met with two potential PR agencies. I skipped dinner and just crashed. All the meetings except one were 90% in Portuguese and it is mentally exhausting to translate in my head for that long.

Today we met with three potential partners. All in Portuguese. I've gotten plenty of comments from people on my Portuguese, but I've also had times when its been really bad. One funny one (all happened in Portuguese)...This guy asked, "how did you learn Portuguese?" I said, "I lived here thirty years ago." He said, "how long did you live here?" I said, "oitenta mezes." He looks at me funny, then says, "oito mezes?" I reply, "Nao, oitenta mezes." He switches to English and says, "Eighty months?" Instead of saying "eighteen months," I had said "eighty months." I made many more mistakes, but I think most people I met with liked the fact that I tried so hard. Its rare for Brazilians to meet Americans that speak Portuguese. When I told one person that I learned as a Mormon missionary, she said "we had a great experience with a Mormon!" Turns out that one of their clients had been a Utah company that I know quite well.

Now I'm in the Delta lounge in Sao Paulo waiting on my flight. I'm excited to come home. My guess is that I'll come back sometime early next year.

One more story...most of the time we are in the middle of Sao Paulo, a city of 15 million people (Manhattan has less than 2 million), but for one meeting we were in a suburb. We had to walk a couple blocks. For whatever reason, I felt like a missionary again walking the streets. It was a "take me back" feeling.

That's it. Two posts in a short trip. Hope everyone is doing well.

Love,

Dad

Viva Brasil!

I'm here! Viva Brasil! After my last visit eighteen years ago, it is wonderful to be back. The flight (15 hours in total) was great. I think I got about five hours sleep on the Atlanta to Sao Paulo leg. That, plus the fact that the time zone difference is only three hours, means I've adjusted pretty easily.

Today was a series of meetings. Much of it in Portuguese. I could keep up with most of it. Thirty years is a long time, so I've lost a lot, but I won't beat myself up too bad because I can still get by. Asking questions, ordering at restaurants, light conversation, etc. is fine. Some of the business stuff gets challenging. We (Raul, Plinio, and I) are headed to dinner in an hour. More meetings the next two days.

The bad news is that I can't get my computer to read my camera's SD card. So sorry, no pics.

So here is something that is a bit serious, but heartfelt. Enjoy.

Thirty-one years and one month ago I first set foot in Brasil – called by a prophet of God to preach the restored gospel of Jesus Christ. I was new, fresh, and green. My speech was flawed. There were so many things I didn’t know. Yet enthusiasm, desire, and faith seemed to overcome all my fears and inabilities.

Brasil was untamed and burgeoning. My mission area was the second largest geographic mission in the church. Thousands of miles separated small remote branches. Most Brasilians knew nothing of the Mormons. Curiosity was often their biggest motivator.

I witnessed as an apostle rededicated Brasil for the preaching of the gospel. I saw my own growth. Miraculously, in their initial steps toward eternal life, I saw dozens of people enter the waters of baptism – people, whose descendants now number in the hundreds. For me, Brasil was then, and is now, sacred ground. As I return, I’m filled with gratitude for the significance that the gospel has had in my life, appreciative of the companions who I served with, mindful of the people who I was able to share this eternal message with, and privileged for the opportunity to return.

Budapest

It's Sunday here in Budapest. I just got back from church. I arrived yesterday. Their were eight company employees on my same flight from NYC to Budapest. To state it mildly, they weren't too happy when I got a complimentary upgrade to first class and they stayed in coach. Hey, they can fly 100,000 miles a year and I'm sure they'll get the same thing! It was nice. I got five hours of sleep in the seat that came close to a full horizontal recline.

Yesterday, we went walking around the city. Visited the Buda castle/palace, a large ornate church, and the labyrinth (a series of connected tunnels under the castle -- it was cool). Today is raining, which isn't too much fun. Church service was a little international, English-speaking branch with about 15 members. The block is only two hours long -- no Sunday school. I got a chance to bear my testimony during Sacrament meeting. It was nice.


Tomorrow I have a marketing meeting with my European team members, then a golf tournament in the afternoon, and a welcome reception tomorrow night. The conference then begins Tuesday morning.


Here are some pics for you to enjoy. Steph and Jeremy, I thought of you guys a ton since you've already been here and probably saw all the same things I have.


I love you all!




This is the view looking across the Danube river out of my hotel window.

Cool part of the wall that extends from St. Matthews church.

Inside the Labyrinth -- it takes about 30 minutes to walk through all the connected tunnels.







St. Matthews cathedral.

A shot from the Buda side of the river (the river actually divides the two cities -- Buda and Pest. The ornate building in the background is the Parlament building.

Part of our group. I think we'll have about 60 employees here for the event.

The entrance to the church. Also the institute building, mission office, and mission home.

This was kind of cool. This cable car is how you get up the hill. There are two cars and the gravity of the car coming down, pulls up the car going up.


Kaz and me at church.

Inside the Labyrinth, they had bungie cords lit by a black light that formed a maze like the high-tech lazer security on Mission Impossible or Oceans 11. I had to try it. It was fun, and then the tunnel kept going back and was very dark. A little creepy, but I would love to play in this place at night after it closes!

New Zealand pics...(more)

Yesterday and today were both filled with meetings (two presentations to two different customer groups yesterday and an all day meeting with an analyst today). Flew to Sydney last night. Slept well last night. The hotel is very run down (oh well). Tomorrow I give two more presentations to customers then fly to Melbourne tomorrow night to do the same thing there on Thursday. Then an early morning flight home on Friday (yay!!!!)

Here are some additional pictures from New Zealand