Greetings from the Philippines!

It’s been nearly a year since my last travelogue. To keep up with modern technology, my travelogues have evolved to a TravelBlog.

Philippines, January 30, 2007

View our Philippines Photo Album

When I meet someone new and time permits, I like to get to know their history, a little about their family, parents, grandparents, motivations and I like to hear their dreams. It’s an engaging investment that is the foundation for a richer relationship. Traveling to a new country is similar. So let’s start from the beginning.

Prehistory

The Philippines is a group of 7,107 islands in the South China Sea just north of the equator. 2,000 of its islands are inhabited. Over the past two million years, the earth has undergone many cycles of glaciation. During these ice ages, massive amounts of the earth’s water forms glaciers on land which causes the water levels in the world's oceans to drop. At the height of the last ice age, the sea levels around the Philippines were at least 150 feet lower than they are today. This created a huge extension to the continental land mass of Asia to the Philippines. These cycles and allowed many species, including humans to populate the Philippines as far back as 40,000 years ago at roughly the same time as they reached Australia and New Guinea.

The First Filipinos

The first settlers are believed to be the ancestors of the Aeta, (pronounced eye-ta) referred to by Spanish settlers as “Negritos” for their small stature and dark skin. Genetic research shows they are no more African than I am with my Northern European ancestry. Modern genetics literally prove the existence of our Adam and Eve ancestors some 60,000 to 150,000 years ago. So if you’re wondering where the Negritos came from, here’s a world-shrinking reminder: it wasn't too long ago that they came from the same great grand parents as you and me.

The ancestors of the greatest part of the Filipino people are genetically traced to Taiwan, settling in northern Luzon about 2500 BC. Their ancestors spread to the rest of the Philippines and surrounding islands by boat and traded with surrounding countries, including China and India for thousands of years. This was evidenced by the discovery in 1976 of at least eleven seagoing boats dated as far back as 320 AD and is one of the world’s oldest fleets excavated in one place.

History

Magellan is the first to record western contact with the islands in 1521. Permanent settlements were later established by the Spanish who claimed the territory for Spain. This lasted until the Filipinos revolted in 1896. At the end of the Spanish American War, control of the Philippines was transferred to the US with the Treaty of Paris. For a brief period during the Second World War, the Japanese occupied the islands, but at the end of the war, the US transitioned full control to the Filipinos in July 1946.

Religion & Transportation

Over 90% of Filipinos are Christian, making the Philippines the only Christian population in Asia. Islam is also popular, but generally isolated to a somewhat autonomous region of south east Mindanao, the southernmost land mass. Common transportation is on privately owned “jeepny” which are giant, open-air buses. Also common are private cars, small motorcycles, taxis, bicycle-rickshaws, bicycles and more. The form of transportation an American might find most unusual is the “trike”, which is generally an 80 cc mopeds fitted with a trailer or sidecar canopy that covers the driver and passengers. It seats six to eight Filipinos, although I seemed to take up two seats with my computer on my lap. It’s not uncommon to see a family of four riding a single moped with small children sandwiched between the adults. Most jeepnies are painted with sentiments fond to the owner, like: Nike, Monsanto, NBA (for National Basketball Assoc.), Honor God, For Him, to images of an American flag etc. Religious or moral acknowledgements are relatively common –we saw them on billboards and bridges. Filipinos are quite pro-American; anecdotally, I noticed more American flags or colors in 10 minutes in down town Cagayan de Oro than a week of driving in Grants Pass, the All-American city.

Language

There are over 170 native languages spoken in the country. Of these there are 12 native languages that are spoken by more than 90% of the population. When the Philippines regained its independence on July 4, 1946, English and Tagalog were declared the two official languages. The latter is now referred to as “Filipino.” The native language where we spent most of our time Cagayan de Oro is Visayan and part of possibly the second most common classification native languages in the Philippines.

English is the dominant language in business, government, and education. Every person we met understood at least some English and most were more conversant than you might find in ethnic Southern California. We had little trouble navigating in cabs or other transportation. English proficiency sustains a significant call center industry and is valuable asset for overseas workers.

The Flight

We left out of Medford to San Francisco at 9 AM Pacific. The flight to Cebu was three hops through San Francisco, California then to Seoul South Korea and on to Cebu, Philippines. This is where Glenn Lewman, who I’ve known for almost 30 years, and his sweetheart Ruby picked us up. The following morning we flew to their home town Cagayan de Oro or CDO. The total travel time was about 25 hours, not counting the rest stop in Cebu.

City of Golden Friendship

With the significant Spanish colonization, many Filipinos have some Spanish/European blood and those that do are proud of it. Their eyes are noticeably larger and less Asian than most Chinese. Before we left, some people warned Malissa of the dangers of traveling to the Philippines, “It’s a third world country you know!” Malissa even admitted that she felt a little anxiety, but after two weeks Malissa said she felt much safer than she does Mexico. In fact, CDO is "The City of Golden Friendship" and, like Grants Pass, is also known for white water rafting.

After a day of settling in, we checked out the local rafting experience on the Cagayan River with some of Glenn’s friends. The Cagayan is about the size and flow of the Rogue River. (I’m a little suspect of what some people refer to as a river after seeing “The River Jordan” in Israel some years ago –it would have been more accurate to call it “The Creek Jordan”). The put-in was only an hour drive on decent roads and the take out was about 15 minutes from CDO because the river eventually divides the city where it then feeds into the ocean.

The 3 hour white water trip was led by CDO’s only International Raft Federation certified guides. There are probably only a handful of people on the planet that have rafted more rivers than Glenn. He says there is an upper section of the Cagayan that is some of the best white water he’s ever rafted. His friends Rupert, Chism, and Roldan own the rafting company and were the hosts of our most enjoyable evenings in CDO. If you get the urge to enjoy some Filipino white water, you can contact Rupert Domingo at riverguide95@hotmail.com.

CDO has a population of nearly 500,000. While we were there we explored two large shopping malls, a World Class golf course, zip lining over a huge collapsed cave, a small aviary/zoo, modern housing developments, and the nearby island of Camiguin. On Friday and Saturday nights the two down town main streets that divide the city, called Divisoria are closed to host a night café & market. There is plenty of Filipino food and shopping with street vendors is packed.

Real-Life Fear Factor

When Tony and I traveled to Fiji, we trekked an entire day to join a remote mountain tribe called Naka Vika. We presented sevusevu (a Kava gift) to the chief and drank it with his family. We braved the local food that and slept on beds that would make a Merry Maid hurl. We were honored guests and the accommodations were the best our hosts had to offer. But we gave the beds little thought because of the overwhelming hospitality of our hosts. For me, experiencing the life and traditions of the locals is a grandest part of the adventure. These are my fondest travel memories.

Have you ever eaten a boiled egg, or grilled chicken? We might think some local culinary customs are disgusting, but if the locals eat the food and enjoy it, isn’t it just mind over matter? Could a fertilized egg that isn’t quite a chick, something before full grown fowl-hood be good food? It is to some Filipinos.

Friday night after the river trip, we joined the guides at the Divisoria. As we waited for our food, Rupert and Chism offered me balut (pronounced ba-loot). IF YOU DON’T HAVE A STRONG STOMACH, SKIP THE REST OF THIS SECTION AND DON’T CLICK THE LINK. Balut has been featured on Fear Factor. It’s a cuddly little duck egg that has been incubated for 17 to 21 days soft boiled and served warm. The few additional days of incubation makes a huge difference in the size of the duck.

My first response to Chism was, “You eat it.” This one was an 18 days. Chism chipped off the top of the egg and sipped out the steamy fluid, then peeled the rest of the shell. He showed off the tiny duckling inside. The small but distinct form of the duck was visible; the beak, head, body, wings, feathers, and feet were all distinguishable. Malissa and I watched as he sprinkled a little salt and ate it like you would eat any other hard-boiled egg. It was clear he thoroughly enjoyed the whole experience. I thought to myself, “They eat it… it’s just mind over matter.”

Rupert got a second egg and offered it to me again. So as the entire table of maybe 15 people watched, I cracked and pealed off the shell. “Something is different about this one…” I thought to myself, but continued to peal. “…the duck inside here is much larger…”

I sprinkled the salt. “…if Filipinos love this stuff and Chism can eat this, I can…” I examined the relatively huge duck inside, its parts significantly more distinct than the first egg. “…Nuthin’ to it…” …and took a bite, “hmm… like a hard boiled egg, but with texture and more personality.” I was determined not to make a face because I know from years of drinking sometimes disgusting nutritional drinks that making a face only makes it worse. As Malissa grabbed the camera to take a picture she said, “I really think I’m going to lose it.” As I took second bite Chism broke out into laughter. “…big bites and swallow… I’m going to finish this.” I thought. Malissa was moaning. “That’s so sick, I bet that dog wouldn’t even eat it,” she said pointing to a stray dog within arm’s reach. That couldn’t have been a better challenge. “I bet he will!” I retorted and passed it the last bite.

An 18 day balut fills say 10% of the volume of the egg, but a 21 day balut consumes maybe 50% of the egg. Most people prefer the 18 day eggs. Mine was a 21 day egg. Good one Rupert, Chism… I owe you one… thanks. ;-)

Four Fillings and a Cleaning

Most nutrition experts know that sprouted grains are more nutritious than unsprouted grains. One might argue that a “sprouted” duck is more nutritious than a mere egg. We eat eggs, we eat chickens and ducks. What’s the difference? But after the Balut incident, Malissa wasn’t buying that reasoning. I got the impression that any newly-wed kinda kiss attempt on my part would be quickly converted to a hug.

So what better time could there be to get my teeth cleaned?

Prices for services in the Philippines are significantly lower than in the US. We discovered this is especially true for dental work. The dentist we saw had a professional office, located in the mall, fully equipped with the tools you would expect to find in a dentist office in the US. Filipino dentists are trained based on US standards and often practice in the US after graduating dental school.

Before we left the US, Malissa had her teeth cleaned and paid over $300 for the procedure, -performed by the hygienist. I had my teeth cleaned -by the dentist- for $10.00. In Grants Pass several years ago, Malissa had four mercury-amalgam fillings on her bottom teeth replaced with composite and the total cost was $1200. She had an appointment scheduled to have the top four fillings replaced in Grants Pass after we returned from the Philippines, but we decided to have the work done there. The cost using probably the same 3M composite material used by her dentist in Grants Pass was $80.00. The savings on her dental work alone was more than I paid for 18 nights food and lodging.

A Full-Time Maid for $30.00 a Month

It’s clear that one of the most extraordinary realizations about the Philippines to a visitor from a first-world country is the buying power of our money. The currency is Pesos at about 50 Pesos to 1 US Dollar. Our general experience was that the prices were about one-fifth to one-tenth the price I would expect to pay in the US. For the purposes of this explanation, I’ll convert to US Dollars.

While the dollar is losing its value against most world currencies, the Philippines is still a haven. When I traveled to Europe five years ago, it was like everything was on sale. The Euro could be bought for about 80 cents US. On a more recent trip, it was more like shopping on 5th Avenue in New York –everything was much more than I expected.

Today, $1.30 is required to buy the very same Euro. That’s effectively 62% exchange-rate-inflation in about 5 years. Lunch for two in Paris or London could easily set you back $50.00. In the US, a similar meal might be $25.00. An equal dining experience in the Philippines could be $5.00. Here are more examples of the buying power we observed. Note that tips are accepted, but not expected by most Filipinos. A typical tip might be 10%, but they certainly wouldn’t turn down more from a “wealthy American” (that’s you).

* 90 minute massage in the room - $6.00
* Manicure in the room - $1.60
* 1000 square foot house and lot in a gated community with full time security - $20k
* 2000 square foot house and lot in a gated community with full time security - $80k
* Full-time live-in maid - $30.00 per month
* Full-time live-in gardener - $30.00 per month
* Nanny for your child - $20.00 per month
* 5 mile cab ride - $2.00
* River trip with meal - $24.00

More Hightlights

There’s so much more to share, lest this travel-blogue become a travel-book, I’ll recount some highlights here:

*We experienced the people as loving and very accommodating. Highly service oriented.
*Karaoke is everywhere. DVDs with hundreds of songs with background video can be purchased for $.70.
*DVDs of the latest releases are sold at shops for $1.00 each.
*The Aviary with monkeys, snakes and other animals – like a wild-animal petting zoo.
*Camiguin Island was a two hour drive plus a 45 minute ferry from CDO. It was like what you might imagine Kauai was like 50 years ago. Highlights on Camiguin:
o Paras Beach Resort on Camiguin Island – complete with swimming pool, water fall, restaurant, diving, snorkeling, jet-skiing, and trips to the famous White Island, just a 10 minute boat ride away. ($40.00 US a night for one of the nicest rooms)
o The ruins of the church and monastery built by the Spanish in the 16th century.
o The Fish Pen Restaurant, where we ate fresh fish on a dock over the water that were literally caught AFTER we ordered.
o The Tree House – the beautiful artist colony bed-and-breakfast-like house built in a tree.
*We heard Grupong Laya, a band of about eight musicians that were also college students and river guides with a unique sound that was some kind of amazing modern-tribal.
*The professional musician that sang James Taylor better than James Taylor sings James Taylor.

Fortunately, Malissa and I intend to return soon. I’ll have even more to report. Thanks for sharing our journey!

Kusiek-Grannis Wedding

Planning our wedding with Sharks

There are some 60 reported shark attacks world wide every year. The thought of being in the water near sharks is enough to evoke intense fear in nearly anyone in any culture, any language. But not so for four intrepid travelers in November 2005 who eagerly entered waters with some 6 species of sharks including hammerheads, black tip, white tip, and even a seven foot Tiger Shark. Who were these brave souls? None other than my good friend and business partner Nathan, his girlfriend Dulcey, Malissa and yours truly. More about the sharks later.

The occasion was a vacation in Maui where Malissa and I were also investigating possible sites for our wedding. We settled on a location on the on the island of Kauai, a botanical garden called Na Aina Kai, (http://www.naainakai.org/) which is Hawaiian for “lands by the sea”.

We were wed on August 5th with a simple, elegant ceremony and delightful reception next to the ocean on the same property. Pictures are here: http://pics.visp.net/tm_wedding/wedding_day/index.html

A picture is worth a thousand words, but here are a few of the great stories that our pictures didn’t capture:

Wedding Day Mischief

On the morning of the wedding Malissa was careful to arrange my transportation to the wedding site. As you can imagine working with a professional coordinator, every event was carefully planned with a schedule. The music, walking down the isle, the ceremony, then the pictures, then the hors de'orves, dinner, etc. was timed to the minute. She would make a good system administrator because she carefully coordinated redundant systems, a primary ride with Jeff and a backup ride with Ken, so if one failed, the other one would be standing by. She scheduled our arrival an hour in advance with an hour to make the 45 minute drive. Then she called all of us that morning and said traffic in Lihui was *terrible* and suggested we leave an hour earlier.

Everything worked according to her plan, except that there was no traffic, but she didn't know that. So naturally, being the boys that we are, we seized the opportunity. We knew all the girls were with Malissa helping her get ready. I rode with Jeff, and Ken drove his boys. After we breezed through Lihui Jeff called his wife and said, “I just wanted to call and let you know we got a late start and we are just leaving, and Todd is with Ken...” When we all arrived (ahead of schedule, an hour before the wedding) we stopped in the parking lot at the wedding site, hidden from view. We could hardly control our laughter. Ken mustered up a straight face and called his wife and said, “I just talked to Jeff... I thought Todd was with Jeff and Jeff thought Todd was with me, so now Jeff is going back to get Todd... oh and by the way, the traffic in Lihui was *terrible*... (a two to three hour round trip for a wedding scheduled to start in forty minutes).

Our clever scheme was working perfectly. Tony and Irina pulled up and we told them what was going on and gave Irena specific instructions not say a word and she went in the cottage to join Malissa and the other girls. Even the most disciplined soldiers have their breaking point under intense torture. She held out for nearly 10 minutes without saying a word. To Malissa's credit, she hadn't shed a tear, but she was reaching a high-stress boiling point and Irena couldn't take it any longer... so she confessed. Malissa says she and Calvin owe me big-time. I know hunny... I know. ;-) I love my wife -she's a good sport.

Ripley’s Believe It Or Not!

So a week or so after the festivities we stopped by Borders Bookstore. Of the thousands of titles, I spent the most time reading through the new edition of Ripley's Believe It Or Not. Imagine my shock I saw flaming proposal picture story. I truly had no idea Ripley’s had picked up the article carried by the associated press and published the picture. It's on page 43 if you want to check it out. But if you happen to buy a copy, don’t pay $30 like I did; last I checked, Costco carried them for about $13.

The Wedding Shirt Memory

The Kauai wedding and reception was followed by a Grants Pass reception on August 28th hosted at the home of our good friends, Ken & Rose Jerin. You might notice in the pictures that the shirt I was wearing was wet and shredded by the end of the night. That story goes back to July 4th, 2005, the day I proposed to Malissa. (see http://www.hotproposal.com/) It seems four armed men, Nathan, Tony, Judson, and Calvin (that’s eight arms!) thought I might be a little warm and dry on that hot Oregon day, so they hauled me off to the pool. I think they know I could have taken them all down, but being the gentleman that I am, I let them throw me in . Nathan was the ring-leader as you might note from the photo: http://www.hotproposal.com/photos/thehotparty/Page13.html.

An elephant never forgets, and I'm not one to pass a good opportunity to share a little practical-joke-love. So on the day of our reception in Grants Pass, Nathan was fated to get thrown in the pool. After the fact, we said he “fell in”, because at some point when a full grown man gets projected into space, if he’s close enough to Earth, gravity takes over, which it did, and he happened to land in the pool! Somewhere along the way, the very wedding shirt I wore during our wedding ceremony got massively torn. It was a casualty. But to this, my sister Susanne soothed the moment with a profound sentiment that completely reframed our mourning, “Before you had a wedding shirt, but now you have a memory!” Here, here!

Malissa and I feel very grateful to those who were able to devote the resources to join us in Kauai. We know it was expensive and a big commitment. We sincerely appreciate those who joined us at our reception in Grants Pass. We also want to gratefully acknowledge those who could not join the celebration. Thank you sincerely for being part of our life and experience.

About those sharks

So what about those sharks? The Maui Ocean Center has a 750,000 gallon aquarium and offers scuba dive interaction tours inside the tank just before feeding time each day. Why is it before feeding time and not after? Perhaps the food is a reward for not eating the paying customers? After a 20 minute “How-to-swim-with-sharks-without-getting-eaten-alive” course, we dawned our tanks and entered the water. Inside the tank are hundreds of fish, including two huge puffer fish, maybe 20-30 inches long and dozens of rays and 24 sharks. One of the rays is a white spotted eagle ray affectionately called “Miss Piggy” because she's the center of attention anytime you happen to have a clam -her favorite treat.

The sharks were cautious at first, but after a few minutes, caution turned to curiosity -almost like a cat- and they started to swim a little closer. Eventually they were swimming within a few feet. Malissa and I even reached out to touch some of them as they swam close. No bites or wounds. What fun!

It left a lasting impression on all of us. In November 2006, Nathan turned the adrenalin into romance and planned a trip for the four of us to dive in the world's largest aquarium at Epcot center in Florida, complete with its own crew of sharks and other critters. Little did his girlfriend Dulcey know, he had every last detail worked out for a cool underwater proposal. (See http://www.5throck.org/) She said yes. The wedding date is set for late June.

Malissa has been diving with these toothy critters twice no less. Anytime we talk to divers I tell them about my wife who likes to dive with sharks. The response is pretty universal look like, “you guys are crazy.” Truth is, in an aquarium, they’re pretty well fed.

Greetings from Japan!

23 March, 2006 – Todd’s Tokyo Travelogue

Greetings from Kochi, Japan!

Tokyo is HUGE. The travel could not have gone more smoothly if I’d had a personal guide, but it took longer than my travel agent or I expected and it was the last flight to Kochi, so it was very important that I make the flight.

I arrived with only a few minutes to spare and the flight was closed for check-in and all passengers had boarded. But fortune smiled on me and the airport personnel at Haneda were very accommodating… The friendly girl at the ticket counter rushed through the check in, radioed ahead, then grabbed one of my bags and personally raced me through security. We were greeted by 4 other people and they held the plane and closed the door almost immediately after I boarded.

That would not happen these days in the US!

All in all it was about 24 hours of travel time to get here, so there has definitely been some jetlag. Crossing the International Date Line, I arrived 2 days after we departed. It’s been a bit disorienting. The cherry blossoms are starting to bloom and the weather has been nice… a little warmer than Oregon and more humid because Kochi is on the south side of Japan and on the ocean.

Yesterday Dave and I went to Kochi Castle. Kochi was the main birthplace for the people’s rights movements or the birth of democracy in Japan and the city has some identity with that history. Today we go to the ocean so we can look east, touch the water and wave at our friends in the US (and I also want to blow some kisses to my sweetheart who will meet us in Tokyo on Sunday.


April 10, 2006 – Here’s a follow travelogue after two weeks intrepid travel through Japan.

The Tokyo skyline was amazing. We took photos of the Tokyo Tower from one of the tallest buildings in Tokyo, the Roppongi Hills Mori Tower. I’ve traveled the world to something like 30 countries and never seen a city so large. I’d heard Mexico City was the most populous city in the world so we did some quick Internet research and confirmed our suspicion. While Tokyo is not the most populous city within it’s city limits, it is the largest “agglomeration” of people in the world with 85% more people than Mexico City, the next largest agglomeration. It also happens to be the world’s most expensive city. My wallet is still groaning.

After two weeks in Japan, many similarities and differences stand out. When I arrived, my first stop was the men’s room at Narita airport. The urinals on the wall were nothing unusual, but the only toilet was a sort of urinal laying on its back, embedded in the tile on the stall floor.

Malissa suggested that I could forgo any toilet commentary, but anyone who knows my passion for good health and fearless approach to any topic will not be surprised with what follows.

I was puzzled for a moment thinking about the mechanics of going doodie with pants on and no place to sit. The Japanese must have a system. There certainly were no instructions on the wall in English. Upon further reflection, maybe it makes more sense than the traditional American method… the toilet is a recent invention, right? What other animal in God’s creation sits on something to go doodie? If you think about it, sitting to do your doodie is anatomically unnatural: An American toilet puts our legs at around 90 degrees instead of a squatting angle of 30 degrees or less. That 60 degree difference changes the launching angle of your sigmoid colon and affects other organs of elimination. What we don’t eliminate becomes mobile toxic waste… So I’m now convinced the Japanese have found the better solution to accommodate the natural elimination process and indoor sanitation.

The bathroom novelty continued when I arrived at my friend Dave’s house. His toilets were digital –literally. I’ve read about ultra modern toilets in Popular Science, but now I’ve seen one in real life. The toilet seat is heated and controlled with a remote temperature control mounted just above the toilet paper. With the press of a his or hers button the toilet becomes a bidet (for cleaning your backside). Even the flush is electronic.

Malissa reported that the women’s bathrooms played the sound of running water or had a button that could be pressed if background noise was required. I saw no such buttons in any men’s stalls. Why do the girls get music, but the men don’t?

Ok, enough toilet talk, but nice topic, eh?

American products and influence are everywhere. Micky Mouse and other characters are so common, I’m not sure Japanese realize they’re any more American than Toyota and Nissan, etc are Japanese. They’ve become part of our society and we take them for granted. We have a Hitachi TV, Sony car stereo, Canon camera, and computers with parts made in Japan. So a Japanese native visiting the US might have a similar experience seeing Japanese brands everywhere. Japan has the second largest economy in the world, after the US. What brand of TV do you own, or what stereo is in your car?

Most models of cars that we saw by manufacturers like Honda, Toyota & Nissan are models I’ve never heard of. There’s the Honda Life; Toyota Soarer, Rush & Mark X; Nissan Skyline, Cube, and dozens more. It seemed as if someone I thought I knew was living a secret life and I’d just discovered it. We went to the official Toyota showroom in Tokyo where Toyota displayed some of its concept cars and late model, mostly Japanese production cars.

The people are very friendly and polite. My friend Dave Aberg, who has lived in Japan for 16 years tells me the whole language has largely evolved around politeness. There are something like 6 different degrees of politeness in the Japanese version of “Thanks”. Do you remember how to say thank you in Japanese? Hint from the famous Styx song: “Domo ______, Mr. Roboto…”

Caucasian men are a bit like rock stars in Japan. People point and sometimes stare. At one point walking through a park, a large group of high school girls waved to Dave and me and yelled “Hi, I love you!... Hi…” In a trip of 14 days, we had similar experiences maybe a half a dozen times or more. Waiting in the ticket line at Disneyland Tokyo a little Japanese boy, maybe 2 or 3 years old ran up to Calvin and hugged his leg. His 10 year old sister giggled and explained “he loves Americans.”

After three days in Japan, we hopped aboard what has been until recently the world’s fastest bullet train: The Japanese call it “Shinkansen.” The ride was surprisingly smooth. The French and Japanese have been battling for the top spot for years and now the Chinese are in the race. I’m rooting for the Japanese. I believe the train we rode cruised at 186 miles an hour. If the Japanese can just bump the speed by 1000 times, and then by 60 squared, passengers will be traveling at the speed of light and the Japanese will win!

I digress. =)

Food in America is generally served so most parties eating together can eat at the same time. Every one of the restaurants we ate at brought pieces of the order out as they were ready. Every meal was preceded with a usually hot washcloth and few or no napkins. Dave’s wife, Sheho served miso soup, sushi, and rice for breakfast most mornings. It turns out that Japanese eat almost 3 times more fish than Americans. We also noticed the sweets were generally not nearly as sweet as typical American sweets. These factors would explain why they are consistently thin while something like 2/3rds of Americans are overweight. I’d guess less than 1 in 100 Japanese were overweight. Dave joked with his wife, “Hunny, if you want to make American sweets, just add four more cups of sugar!”

Dave and his family were very conscious of recycling, partly of their own convictions and partly because the culture tends to be more environmentally conscious. Biodegradable are recycled into Sheho’s small garden. Plastics, burnables, cans and glass are all carefully sorted and collected separately. Except in Disneyland, it was common to see 4 cans in a row for different types of garbage at nearly every public place. It’s worth noting that more often than not we were unable to find a garbage can. Why? Dave explained that most Japanese take their garbage home with them. Perhaps that’s more polite? I now feel more inspired than ever to step up our recycling efforts at the Grannis Household.

Most people know that Japanese take their shoes off before entering a house. Turns out there’s much more to it than just that. Most houses are built with an entry inside the house that is considered part of the outside where the shoes go. It’s deeply engrained; Japanese give it no thought, they just do it. Malissa reported removing her shoes to enter dressing rooms to try on clothes. Perhaps it’s part of their native Shinto heritage, a religion or teaching that among other things values cleanliness and purity. After 16 years Dave removes his shoes without a thought. When I first walked in Dave’s house and thoughtlessly stepped over the shoes into Dave’s house, he looked at me like I had just dumped a wheelbarrow full of cow manure in his living room!

Dave has studied Aikido for 12 years now and is a 4th degree black belt. I took pictures with his Shihan, which means “Master Instructor” or “Teacher of teachers.” I felt honored to join them in two classes with about 15 students and many teachers in training where the Shihan gave me some personal instruction while Dave translated.

I arrived about 4 days before Malissa and Calvin and I was excited to see them. I especially missed Malissa. The total travel time was about 24 hours with about 2 hours from Medford to San Francisco and 11 hours from San Francisco to Tokyo. Calvin was a trooper both directions and got up at 6 AM the next day to go to school. True to form, he’s already gotten 112% on his physics test and 107% on his Spanish test.

We’ve got lots of pictures (and quite a few duplicates) posted plus a few fun movies at the end. Just follow this link:

http://pics.visp.net/grannis_jp

Enjoy!

Greetings from the Emerald Isle!

This Post is from August 14, 2004

Greetings from Ireland!

I got so much positive feedback from the last travelogue that I’m hopeful my friends will tolerate yet another friendly long-distance spam, this time from Dublin with my long-time friend, Tony Javoric.

A little Irish history:

Ireland was first inhabited an estimated 9000 years ago by aboriginal hunter fishermen referred to as HYPERLINK "http://www.knivesauction.com/knives/daithi3.html"Larnian. Later migrations came from Northern Europe as growing populations from areas around modern day Germany migrated north and west and south. If any of your ancestors come from Europe, you and I are probably distant cousins traceable to this common source.

Ireland is littered with cairns or megalithic mounds, of which HYPERLINK "http://www.heritageireland.ie/en/HistoricSites/East/BrunaBoinneVistorCentreNewgrangeandKnowthMeath/"New Grange is the world’s largest. Each Winter solstice, (about December 21) the sun shines perfectly through the aligned stones marking the shortest day of the year and that the new year has begun. Counting the days from this point would certainly benefit a farming community whose survival depended on timing the seasons. New Grange took an estimated 40 years to build, requiring 80 men 4 days to move one 6 ton rock 6 miles… and there’s 1600 stones. Wow. Looking at my calendar, I appreciate that it’s not so heavy. =)

HYPERLINK "http://www.bergen.org/AAST/Projects/Countries/Ireland/castles.html"Castles were first built in Ireland in 1170 after Anglo-Norman Knights (Metal covered French conquering dudes from Britain) paid the Irish a friendly visit and setup shop. Cruising around the island over the last couple of years, we’ve visited several HYPERLINK "http://www.ireland-now.com/castles/"on the long list of Irish castles and a few stand out:

Dublin Castle, stands out ‘cuz there’s no castle. It’s a wall connected to some more modern government buildings. If you’re hoping to be castle-impressed, you can skip this one. (but don’t tell the Irish Bureau of Tourism I said that)

Malahide Castle is well restored and sits on a 250 acre estate and provides guided tours and is less than an hour public bus ride from Dublin city center. The grounds are like something out of postcard.

County Tipperary hosts the Rock of Cashel. Cashel is possibly the most visually stunning ruin I’ve ever seen. But as you know, HYPERLINK "http://www.firstworldwar.com/audio/itsalongwaytotipperary.htm"it’s a long way to Tipperary. (am I dating myself?!).

Officially, Dublin was staked out by HYPERLINK "http://www.dublinuncovered.net/history.html"Norman Vikings in 988 AD, but there’s evidence of communities in the location for almost a thousand years before. It’s the capital city of Ireland but more relevant to my story, it’s where I’m writing from now.

Dublin is one of the most visited cities in Europe, has a booming economy and is rich with sights and attractions. Some of the more memorable include:

Pubs. Though I don’t have much taste for the drink, the Irish sure do. I’ve been told there are over 2000 pubs in Dublin, the most famous of which is HYPERLINK "http://www.hosteldublin.com/cityinfo/entertainment.php"Temple Bar. The exchange rate from Dollars to Euros hasn’t been very American-friendly, and that’s been the case for well over a year now. Combine that with trendy Temple Bar prices and you get some pretty expensive cocktails. In November Malissa and I had occasion to stop in, we ordered a single drink and spent over $14.00 US.

The world’s largest stout beer brewer is located in downtown Dublin and offers tours and a free brew at the end of the tour. Tony and I bought tickets on the ‘Dublin City Tour’, a guided and narrated open-top bus tour to 19 key sights & stops. Passengers can hop on and off at any stop. As we approached the Guinness Factory (stop 13) I got the distinct impression the driver was angling to keep passengers on his bus (for tips at the end of the tour?) because he must’ve said three times, “There’s plenty of time… it’s open till 8… you can come back…” When we stopped, it all made sense: over half the passengers bee-lined for the exit off the bus, bound for a brew.

The world famous HYPERLINK "http://www.riverdance.com/home.htm"Riverdance show calls Dublin home and was nearly sold out, but Tony and I were able to score a couple seats. There’s good reason why this show sells out. It features several crescendos including a tap-off between traditional tall, straight Irish tap and modern loose, relaxed African-American tap. It was so engaging that at one point I seemed to discover my feet were tapping as if by remote control from the stage. I bought the DVD. Malissa, hunny, buy an Irish cookbook and get the big screen and surround sound ready, cuz we’re having a Riverdance party when I get home!

2003 added the most recent attraction, the world’s tallest sculpture, HYPERLINK "http://www.irish-architecture.com/buildings_ireland/dublin/northcity/oconnell_street/spire.html"The Spire of Dublin. It’s is located right in the heart of Dublin on O’Connell Street, which intersects with the River Liffey that runs through the middle of the city. It’s entirely stainless steel, about 10 feet across at the base and about 5” at the tip. Local Dubliners refer to it as ‘The Stiletto In The Ghetto’ or ‘The Erection at the Intersection’. …I know what you’re thinking… but this is a Fodor’s quality, G-Rated travelogue, so use a little more imagination ;-)

Shopping in the heart of Dublin just south of the Liffy on Grafton Street is lively and engaging with street performers spaced about every 100 feet. We took progressive pictures of a Sidewalk chalk fresco as it was being drawn over a 4 day period. The art was fantastic. The artist was Dave, a Brit that had been in Ireland for over 20 years and made his living with street and sidewalk art donations. The art was such quality that if you believed in reincarnation, you might think he was ‘the Artist formerly known as Michelangelo’.

Transportation is quick in Dublin. Tony and I have had an average wait time of less than a minute to catch a bus. The trip to town is about 5 minutes and a week’s unlimited pass is less than 18 Euro, but don’t expect much conversation…

The people of Dublin are generally friendly, but I got an education on my first trip to Dublin and the experience has been consistent ever since. A couple of years ago, I was on a mission to pickup a water purifier from a shop located about an hour by bus south of Dublin. It was a long trip and I’m a friendly guy so I sparked a conversation with the pretty Irish girl that was standing next to me. I talk about the weather, about Oregon, has she been to America, etc, only I’m asking all the questions. Finally I asked her, “so what do you think of Americans?” to which she smiles, as if to herself, and replies, “very friendly, and chatty… very chatty.” “ahh… umm…” Her stop comes up and still smiling to herself, she hops off the bus. I watch for her to turn and waive. So take a wild guess, did she waive? Nope, she didn’t even turn around! Brrr! Chilleey!

When I got home I told the story to Tony and later to a friendly call center agent over the phone who said she had spent 15 years in the US, so I asked, “I’m not looking, but I’m just curious, if this is typical, how do Irish girls meet Irish guys?” True story, she said, “They go to the pub, Irish guys get drunk, fall on them, and ask them out.”

Now, I’m looking forward to making a little Irish history myself by getting on a plane to see my sweetheart and my friendly, chatty American friends. The Irish native tongue is Gaelic where to toast they say Silanta! (sp?) Silanta!

Love and best regards,

Todd

Greetings from the Gulf of Mexico!

This Travelogue is from a cruise through the Caribbean, sent July 30, 2004.

Dear Family and Friends:

Greetings from the Gulf of Mexico! I’m pleased to report that we’ve so far survived our Western Caribbean cruise on the Carnival Triumph. Our suite is on the 7th floor, starboard side, right in the middle of the ship, which is an equal distance walk to the Lido deck pools, the buffet, and the Rome Lounge (the ship’s main 3 story showroom). Our room is about double the size of a typical room, has a marble bathroom, two sinks, Jacuzzi tub, leather wrap around sofa, chairs and large balcony. Having done the budget, inside, bottom floor, end of the ship, over the engines cabin on past cruises, the relatively small difference in cost was well worth the additional investment.

The food isn’t anything like the fantastic, phenomenal, organic, legendary quality of Malissa’s cooking, and not as good as other cruises I’ve enjoyed, but satisfactory. As of the last day of our trip, we still haven’t met our elusive cabin steward, but every morning and night our bed is made and the room is clean and the sheets are turned back and towels are changed. Each night, our room has been host to local wildlife created from towels. The first night was a puppy, the second I thought was a brontosaurus, but Malissa thought might have been a turtle or swan. That was followed by a sting ray and a bunny (fortunately not the flesh eating kind).

Our first stop was Cozumel, Mexico where we checked out the diamonds and precious stones for which they’re famous and decided they were awfully proud of their stuff. Cozumel is home of the world’s smallest Hard Rock Café, which was still 3 stories (the bathrooms were on the 3rd floor!). We found the people friendly and eager to sell services to tourists and try as we might, we didn’t look local enough to blend in. One kid outpaced us three times to guide us into local shops to rent a Jeep.

Next stop was Grand Cayman, clearly more orderly being a British Protectorate. The people were by far the most genuinely friendly of any port. While I went scuba diving, Malissa snorkeled. The diving in Cayman was amazing; the water temperature was perfect and the visibility seemed well over 100 feet. On the first dive, there was a beautiful white stingray about 18” across the back at about 60 feet, almost completely camouflaged against the matching white sand and tropical fish were everywhere. Our second dive was in the swim-through reefs, one of the many diving attractions unique to the Grand Cayman. A swim-through was a new experience for me; some are like troughs through the reef, others are like tunnels in a simple underwater reef-maze. At the bottom of one, not twelve inches from me, our guide shined his light on a huge “bug” (aka: lobster) trying to make himself smaller as a dozen divers swam by gawking.

The water at Cayman is reportedly the fourth saltiest water in the world. Malissa swam with a Sea Turtle and Tappan (sp?) a large silver fish and other tropical fish. Our money didn’t go far at Bacchus, one of the best restaurants on the island where we discovered the exchange rate was 1.25 US Dollars to the Cayman dollar. Lunch was $85.00, but Malissa decided resolutely that it was well worth it and the food was certainly the best on the trip. We stopped at the Hard Rock Café once more and were reminded again of how weak the Dollar is right now against other currencies. Anecdotal factoid: there are more banks per capita (or square mile or something) in the Cayman Islands than any other place on earth.

In Jamaica we felt like a pair of wallets with legs. Unemployment in Jamaica is over 40% so people make a living any way they can. One cab driver quoted us $30 for what the next driver quoted us $10. We braved the “Negotiation Market” and after about 15 minutes of some of the most aggressive sales techniques I’ve ever seen, we were ready to head back to the ship. We were offered drugs probably a dozen times. One local took us through the “Locals Market” and at the end of the tour suggested we tip him $30. We gave him $15 to split with his friend and told him we were going to grab a cab and head back. He and his friend hopped in the cab with us and argued over how to split our tip the entire ride back to the dock.

Our ship, the MS Triumph (where MS does NOT stand for Microsoft) is host to people from all over the world and is huge. It’s so big that we hardly see the same people twice, so we haven’t gotten to know anybody very personally as we have on other cruises, but still the activities and amenities have been lots of fun. Malissa and I both got the Ionetherme treatment that “melts inches and removes toxins that keep your body from burning fat.” Malissa got an aroma massage and I got a facial that made me look so young that security told me to get out of the adult pool and back in with the kids! Ok, just kidding, but at least Malissa said she could see a difference.

I didn’t think anything of it when the South African spa therapist asked if she could rub my shoulders and feet during the Ionetherme treatment until I learned that they don’t normally do that. When she told me I had “neat feet”, I suspected some unusual fetish. During my last treatment, my eyes were covered and when she finished, I thought I felt her kiss the tip of my left foot?! I wasn’t sure until she left the room for me to get dressed and there was a faint outline of lipstick on my big toe! I thought, “That’s gunna be a story and a laugh for years to come!”

There’s been a fantastic Japanese band that can sing “Old Time Rock & Roll” more like Bob Seager than Bob Seager. There’s Karaoke (that I’m anxious to see Malissa perform). I’ve played BINGO for the first time in my life at Malissa’s behest, and while I’ve been remote desk-topping to my office from the Internet Café, Malissa’s netted over $300 at the casino (which is about what I’ve spent on Internet!), but at least she quits while she’s ahead! :-)

Finally, I’m pleased to report our version 4 beta of ISP in a Box® is working well from 3 out of 3 different computers in the middle of the Gulf of Mexico on a cruise ship via satellite. Truly, using our software, ISPs will be able to manage their Internet service from anywhere.

Love,

Todd & Malissa