this is me

This place feels tropical - the trees, the humidity, even some of the buildings. Being driven around town and seeing all the construction in the midst of (palm?) trees, you can see the city as it hopes to be - more developed, less dusty, proud. If I do get to come back here in a couple years, I will be interested to see how the city has changed. 3 for 3 - wonderful colleagues here, too. Didn't pay for a single meal I had with any of them (I've spent the equivalent of $10 total since I arrived Saturday evening, since I've been able to walk around the corner to the office rather than take a taxi), was accompanied on a shopping trip, and went to the American Club with a colleague who used to work with me in DC (where I ate my first salad in two weeks!). Work days were more laid back, too - fewer meetings, more time for independent work. Wandered on foot for the first time today, to a cafe with wifi for some chill reading time. Feeling pretty relaxed as I prepare for the long...

Delhi, Delhi, Delhi....how shall I describe you? The first word that comes to mind: abrasive. The endless honking. The shoving in line. The chastising me when you're the taxi driver and you are upset that I don't know where I'm going...and yet - again, my colleagues are lovely. So much warmth, gratefulness for my time, willingness to drop everything in a busy schedule to get me the information I need. The 'no thanks necessary' when I show my gratefulness in return. The delicious food. Let's tell the rest of the story in pictures. Sunday sightseeing: India Gate ; elephants to greet me whenever I return to the hotel, along with a "namoskar" from a welcoming committee; a 50th anniversary celebration going on in front of the hotel; a delicious Indian meal with a friend who works for the British High Commission, followed by beer at a bar called Rodeo, complete with saddles for barstools; and the chance to ride a (clean, inexpensive, orderly)...

Oh, to live in a city surrounded by mountains. It's been cloudy most of time I've been here, but the cloudiness has made for the most gorgeous views. My work week is done, and I'm celebrating by writing a blog post, drinking a can of Everest beer from the mini bar, and probably ordering room service. I think I've finally beaten jet lag, but I have no desire to go out tonight - I'd rather follow my typical Friday night pattern, except this time it will include writing up my first trip report. So, back to those clouds and mountains - this picture is from the rooftop terrace where breakfast is served (including a view of Boudha ): This is from the rooftop of the office building where lunch is served: This was a great work trip - progress made on long outstanding issues, new relationships built, etc. - but i'm sure you'd rather hear about the touristy part. On Wednesday afternoon one of the office drivers took me and a colleague to Bhaktapur . I have ...

Work has sent me to Bangkok for a week-long meeting, and thus, the blog is revived. (No promises that these posts will be thrilling, though.) Check out pictures here , since I can't seem to figure out how to link Google+ pictures to Blogger. Dulles to Tokyo to Bangkok took almost exactly 24 hours, and I arrived at my hotel around midnight, which felt like noon thanks to the time difference. I had heard stories about Bangkok traffic, but wasn't fully prepared for red lights that lasted close to 5 minutes, and mopeds and people wandering through traffic. The hotel our conference is in is massive - I'm on floor 14 of 35. No complaints about my digs for the week - the suite has to be about the same size as my apartment. I successfully slept from about 3-6am, took advantage of my trusty Kindle until I got too hungry to stay in bed anymore, and after breakfast, went to the gym for a while in an attempt to shake off the inactivity of so many hours on a plane. By then it was lu...